The institution of the Governor-General was established in 1973, when The Bahamas became an independent nation. Before that, the Queen, as monarch of the United Kingdom was represented in the Bahamas by the Governor of the Commonwealth of The Bahama Islands. The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas is the representative of Queen Elizabeth II. As the Queen cannot reside in all of her realms, she appoints representatives to perform her duties as Queen of the Bahamas. The Governor-General serves at the Queen’s pleasure, usually for five years. The functions of the Governor-General are statutory, ceremonial, traditional and social: authority for which lies within the Bahamian Constitution, and various laws enacted by Parliament. In the performance of the duties of the Office, with some exceptions, the Governor- General acts only on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Among other duties, these include the appointment of Cabinet Ministers, the Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court, the President of the Court of Appeal and Justices of Appeal, Service Commissions, Public Boards and Committees and all Public Officers. The Governor-General also receives Credentials from Ambassadors accredited to the Bahamas, conferral of National Honours on Bahamians, and presentation of instruments of Appointment to Ambassadors-designate of the Bahamas being assigned to foreign countries. Socially, the Governor-General frequently receives Bahamians and other Nationals in courtesy calls on special occasions or celebrations, students of various schools and visitors from other countries. In the context of representing The Bahamas, the Governor-General also accepts many invitations to attend church services. Government House in Nassau is the official residence of the Governor-General.
The current Governor-General is Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith, who became the tenth Governor-General on June 28th, 2019. The Bahamas-Prairie View Alumni Chapter is proud to acknowledge one of our charter members, Mr. Jack Thomson, class of 1980, who serves as the secretary to the Governor-General. We thank Mr. Thompson for his assistance in arranging and facilitating the visit of members of our alumni chapter’s leadership to the Governor-General’s office.