Arthur Phillip was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first governor of the Colony of New South Wales.
Captain Arthur Phillip, 1786, by Francis Wheatley
HMS Buckingham, Phillip's first posting after joining the Navy in 1755. Vessel pictured on the stocks at Deptford Dockyard, c. 1751. Painting by John Cleveley the Elder. National Maritime Museum, London.
The landing of the First Fleet in Port Jackson in 1788
The Founding of Australia By Capt. Arthur Phillip R.N., Sydney Cove, Jan. 26th 1788. Painting by Algernon Talmage, 1937.
Governor of New South Wales
The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the Australian states perform constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the premier of New South Wales, and serves in office for an unfixed period of time—known as serving At His Majesty's pleasure—though five years is the general standard of office term. The current governor is retired judge Margaret Beazley, who succeeded David Hurley on 2 May 2019.
Governor of New South Wales
Sir John Northcott, the first Australian-born governor (1946–57).
Lord Wakehurst takes the oath of office upon his arrival in Sydney in 1937.
The First Fleet in Botany Bay at voyage's end in 1788. Its arrival marked the establishment of the colony of New South Wales and the office of the governor.
