| 26 Jan 1788 – 10 Dec 1792 | Captain (later Vice-Admiral) Arthur Phillip, RN |
| 11 Sept 1795 – 27 Sep 1800 | Captain John Hunter, RN |
| 28 Sept 1800 – 12 Aug 1806 | Captain Phillip Gidley King, RN |
| 13 Aug 1806 – 26 Jan 1808 | Captain (later Vice-Admiral) William Bligh, RN |
| 1 Jan 1810 – 1 Dec 1821 | Colonel (later Major-General) Lachlan Macquarie |
| 1 Dec 1821 – 1 Dec 1825 | Major-General Sir Thomas Brisbane |
| 19 Dec 1825 – 22 Oct 1831 | Major-General (later General and Sir) Ralph Darling |
| 3 Dec 1831 – 5 Dec 1837 | Lieutenant-General (later General) Sir Richard Bourke, KCB |
| 24 Feb 1838 – 11 Jul 1846 | Lieutenant-Colonel Sir George Gipps |
| 3 Aug 1846 – 20 Jan 1855 | Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy, KCH, KCB |
| 20 Jan 1855 – 22 Jan 1861 | Lieutenant-General Sir William Thomas Denison, KCB |
| 16 May 1861 – 24 Dec 1867 | Rt. Hon. Sir John Young, Bt, KCB, GCMG, PC, (later 1st Baron Lisgar) |
| 8 Jan 1868 – 21 Feb 1872 | 4th Earl of Belmore (Somerset Richard Lowry-Corry), GCMG, PC Ireland |
| 3 Jun 1872 – 19 Mar 1879 | Sir Hercules George Robert Robinson, GCMG (later 1st Baron Rosmead) |
| 4 Aug 1879 – 9 Nov 1885 | Lord Augustus William Frederick Spencer Loftus, GCB, PC |
| 12 Dec 1885 – 3 Nov 1890 | 3rd Baron Carrington (Charles Robert Wynn-Carrington), KG, KCMG, PC |
| 15 Jan 1891 – 2 Mar 1893 | 7th Earl of Jersey (Victor Albert George Child-Villiers), GCB, GCMG, PC |
| 29 May 1893 – 15 Mar 1895 | Rt. Hon. Sir Robert William Duff, GCMG, PC |
| 21 Nov 1895 – 5 Mar 1899 | 2nd Viscount Hampden (Rt. Hon. Henry Robert Brand), GCMG |
| 18 May 1899 – 30 Apr 1901 | 7th Earl of Beauchamp (Rt. Hon. William Lygon), KG, KCMG, PC |
| 27 Mar 1902 – 27 May 1909 | Admiral Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson, GCB, GCMG |
| 28 May 1909 – 11 Mar 1913 | 2nd Baron Chelmsford (Rt. Hon. Frederic John Napier Thesiger), GCMG |
| 14 Mar 1913 – 27 Oct 1917 | Sir Gerald Strickland, Count della Catena, GCMG (later 1st Baron Strickland) |
| 18 Feb 1918 – 14 Sept 1923 | Sir Walter Edward Davidson, KCMG, CBE |
| 28 Feb 1924 – 7 Apr 1930 | Admiral Sir Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair, KCB, MVO |
| 29 May 1930 – 15 Jan 1935 | Air Vice-Marshall Sir Philip Woolcott Game, GBE, KCB, DSO |
| 21 Feb 1935 – 22 Jan 1936 | Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven VC, GCMG, CB, DSO (later Lord Gowrie of Canberra and Dirleton) |
| 6 Aug 1936 – 29 Oct 1936 | Admiral Sir David Murray Anderson, KCB, KCMG, MVO |
| 8 Aug 1937 – 8 Jan 1946 | 2nd Baron Wakehurst (Rt. Hon. John de Vere Loder), KG, KCMG |
| 1 Aug 1946 – 31 Jul 1957 | Lieutenant-General Sir John Northcott KCMG, KCVO, CB |
| 1 Aug 1957 – 31 Jul 1965 | Lieutenant-General Sir Eric Woodward, KCMG, KCVO, CB, CBE, DSO |
| 20 Jan 1966 – 19 Jan 1981 | Sir Arthur Roden Cutler, VC, AK, KCMG, KCVO, CBE |
| 20 Jan 1981 – 19 Jan 1989 | Air Marshall Sir James Rowland, AC, KBE, DFC, AFC |
| 20 Jan 1989 – 7 Aug 1990 | Rear Admiral Sir David Martin, KCMG, AO |
| 8 Aug 1990 – 29 Feb 1996 | Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair, AC |
| 1 Mar 1996 – 28 Feb 2001 | The Hon. Gordon Samuels, AC |
| 1 Mar 2001 – Present | Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO |
© 2011 NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet