1881: British protectorate (State of North Borneo)

January 1942 - August 1945: Japanese occupation

15 July 1946: British crown colony (British North Borneo)

16 September 1963: part of Malaysia

Chairmen of the British North Borneo Chartered Company

1882 - 1893: Sir Rutherford Alcock (b. 1809 - d. 1897)

1893 - 1903: Richard Biddulph Martin (b. 1838 - d. 1916)

1903 - 1909: Sir Charles James Jessel (b. 1860 - d. 1928)

1909 - 14 Sep 1910: William Clark Cowie (d. 1910)

Presidents of the British North Borneo Chartered Company

1910 - 1926: Sir Joseph West Ridgeway (b. 1844 - d. 1930)

3 Feb 1926 - 15 Jul 1946: Sir Neill Malcolm (b. 1869 - d. 1953)

Governors

1881 - 1887: William Hood Treacher (b. 1849 - d. 1919)

1887 - 1888: W.M. Crocker

1888 - 1895: Charles Vandelleur Creagh (b. 1842 - d. 1917)

1895 - 1900: Leicester Paul Beaufort (b. 1853 - d. 1926)

1900 - 1901: Hugh Charles Clifford (b. 1866 - d. 1941)

1901 - 1903: Ernest Woodford Birch (b. 1857 - d. 1929)

1904 - 1911: Edward Peregrine Gueritz (b. 1855 - d. 1938)

1911 - 1912: Francis Robert Ellis (b. 1849 - d. 1915)

1912: James Scott Mason (b. 1853 - d. 1912)

1913 - 1915: Cecil William Chase Parr (d. 1943)

1915 - 1922: Aylmer Cavendish Pearson (1st time) (b. 1876 - d. 1926)

1922 - 1925: Sir William Henry Rycroft (b. 1861 - d. 1925)

1925 - 1926: Aylmer Cavendish Pearson (2nd time)

1926 - 16 Dec 1929: John Lisseter Humphreys (d. 1929)

1930 - 1933: Arthur Frederick Richards (b. 1885 - d. 1978)

1934 - 1937: Douglas James Jardine (b. 1888 - d. 1946)

1937 - 1946: Charles Robert Smith (b. 1887 - d. 1959) (Japanese prisoner Jan 1942 - Aug 1945)

Nov 1946 - 1949: Edward Francis Twining (b. 1899 - d. 1967)

1950 - 1954: Sir Herbert Ralph Hone (b. 1896 - d. 1992)

4 Mar 1954 - 1959: Sir Roland Evelyn Turnbull (b. 1905 - d. 1960)

1959 - 1963: Sir William Goode (b. 1907 - d. 1986)

Heads of State (title ‘Yang di-Pertuan Negara’; from 1976, ‘Yang di-Pertua Negeri’)

16 Sep 1963 - 16 Sep 1965: Tun Datuk Mustafa bin Harun (b. 1918 - d. 1995)

16 Sep 1965 - 16 Sep 1973: Datuk Pangeran Ahmad Rafai (b. 1907)

16 Sep 1973 - Aug 1975: Tun Mohamad Fuad Stephens (b. 1920 - d. 1976)

Aug 1975 - 1977: Datuk Mohamad Indan bin Kari (b. 1921)

1977: Datuk Mohamad Abdullah

12 Oct 1977 - 25 Jun 1978: Tun Ahmad Koro (b. 1925 - d. 1978)

27 Jun 1978 - 1987: Tun Datuk Mohamad Adnan Robert (b. 1917 - d. 2003)

1 Jan 1987 - 31 Dec 1994: Tun Mohamad Said Keruak (b. 15 Nov 1926 - d. 17 Nov 1995)

1 Jan 1995 - 31 Dec 2002: Tun Sakaran Dandai (b. 1930)

1 Jan 2003: Datuk Ahmadshah Abdullah (b. 1946)

Chief Ministers

16 Sep 1963 - 31 Dec 1964: Tun Mohamad Fuad Stephens (1st time)

1 Jan 1965 - 4 Jun 1967: Peter Loh Su Yin (b. 1923)

4 Jun 1967 - 1 Nov 1975: Tun Datuk Mustafa bin Harun

1 Nov 1975 - 15 Apr 1976: Tun Mohamad Said Keruak (b. 15 Nov 1926 - d. 17 Nov 1995)

15 Apr 1976 - 6 Jun 1976: Tun Mohamad Fuad Stephens (2nd time)

6 Jun 1976 - 22 Apr 1985: Datuk Harris bin Mohamad Salleh (b. 1933)

22 Apr 1985 - 17 Mar 1994: Joseph Pairin Kitingan (b. 1940)

17 Mar 1994 - 27 Dec 1994: Tun Sakaran Dandai (s.a.)

27 Dec 1994 - 28 May 1996: Salleh Said Keruak (b. 10 July 1957)

28 May 1996 - May 1998: Yong Teck Lee (b. 1958)

May 1998 - 14 Mar 1999: Tun Sri Bernard Dompok (b. 1949)

14 Mar 1999 - 27 Mar 2001: Datuk Osu Sukam (b. 1949)

27 Mar 2001 - 27 Mar 2003: Datuk Chong Kah Kiat (b. 1948)

27 Mar 2003: Datuk Musa Aman (from 11 Oct 2003, Datuk Seri Musa Aman) (b. 1951)