The Governor of New France was the viceroy of the King of France in North America. A French noble, he was appointed to govern the colonies of New France, which included Canada, Acadia and Louisiana. The residence of the Governor was at the Château St-Louis in the capital of Quebec City. Acadia, Louisiana, and the towns of Trois-Rivières and Montreal had their own particular governors.

Prior to the establishment of the 1663 Sovereign Council, the highest positions in New France were that of Governor and Lieutenant-General, which were often held by the same person. The Governor then had responsibilities over both military and civil affairs in the colonies. With the new royal administration of 1663, the title of Governor General was given to the person responsible for the military and diplomatic relations. The administration of justice, police, and finance was given to the Intendant, who presided over the Sovereign Council. The Governor General answered to the French Secretary of State of the Navy and the Controller General of Finance.

Beginning with Charles de Montmagny, North American Indians referred to the governor as Onontio, meaning "Great Mountain". Each Onontio was the head of the Franco-Indian alliance.

Name	Term	Sovereign
Samuel de Champlain	1627-1635	Louis XIII
Charles de Montmagny	1635-1648
		Louis XIV
Louis d'Ailleboust de Coulonge	1648-1651
Jean de Lauzon	1651-1657
Le vicomte d'Argenson	1658-1661
Le baron d'Avaugour	1661-1663

See also

• Governor of Montreal
• Governor of Acadia
• Governor of Plaisance
• Governor of Louisiana

External links

• New France - Administration

de:Gouverneur von Neufrankreich fr:Gouverneur de la Nouvelle-France