Colonial Office

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For other uses, see Colonial Office (disambiguation).

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's building in 1866. It was then occupied by the four government departments, Foreign, India, Home and Colonial Offices.

The Colonial Office was a United Kingdom government department first created to deal with colonial affairs in British North America and then again to oversee and supervise the increasing number of colonies of the British Empire. It was headed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies, known as the Colonial Secretary.

1 First Colonial Office (1768 – 1782)
2 Second Colonial Office (1854 – 1966)
3 Timeline
4 See also
5 References

First Colonial Office (1768 – 1782)

Prior to 1768 responsibility for the affairs of the British colonies was part of the duties of the Secretary of State for the Southern Department and a committee of the Privy Council known as the Board of Trade and Plantations.^[1]

In 1768 the separate American or Colonial Department was established, in order to deal with colonial affairs in British North America however this office was abolished in 1782 after the loss of the American colonies.

The functions were then amalgamated into the Home Office until in 1794 these functions were moved to the War Office.

Second Colonial Office (1854 – 1966)

In 1801 the War Office was renamed the War and Colonial Office under a new Secretary of State for War and the Colonies to reflect the increasing importance of the colonies. In 1825 a new post of Permanent undersecretary for the Colonies was created within this office.

In 1854 this office was divided into two and a new Colonial Office was created to deal specifically with the needs of the colonies and assigned to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. In 1907 Dominion Division of the Colonial Office was created and in 1925 the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs was created. The Dominion Office was later renamed as the Commonwealth Relations Office. In 1966 Dominion Affairs re-merged with Colonial Office and finally in 1968 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was created.

Timeline

History of UK Government Departments with Responsibility for Foreign Affairs
Colonial Office 1768 – 1782 Secretaries Undersecretaries	Home Office 1782 – 1794 Secretaries Undersecretaries	War Office 1794 – 1801 Secretaries Undersecretaries	War and Colonial Office 1801 – 1854 Secretaries Undersecretaries	Colonial Office 1854 – 1925 Secretaries Undersecretaries	Colonial Office 1925 – 1966 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries		Commonwealth Office 1966 – 1968 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries	Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1968 – Present Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries
	Home Office 1782 – 1794 Secretaries Undersecretaries	War Office 1794 – 1801 Secretaries Undersecretaries			Dominions Office 1925 – 1947 Secretaries Undersecretaries	Commonwealth Relations Office 1947 – 1966 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries
.				India Office 1858 – 1937 Secretaries Undersecretaries	India and Burma Office 1937 – 1947 Secretaries Undersecretaries
Foreign Office 1782 – 1968 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries