A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to include a variety of senior officials, often sitting on a specific commission. In particular, the commissioner frequently refers to senior police or government officials. A high commissioner is equivalent to an ambassador, originally between the United Kingdom and the Dominions and now between all Commonwealth states, whether Commonwealth realms, republics or countries having a monarch other than that of the realms. The title is sometimes given to senior officials in the private sector; for instance, many North American sports leagues.
There is some confusion between commissioners and commissaries because other European languages use the same word for both. Therefore titles such as commissaire in French, Kommissar in German and comisario in Spanish or commissario in Italian, can mean either commissioner or commissary in English, depending on the context.
Domestic public official A commissioner within a modern state generally holds his or her office by a commission from the head of state or a council of elected representatives (or appointed by non-elected officials in the case of dictatorships).
Canadian territories
Commissioners are the formal heads of the territories in Canada (those areas under the formal jurisdiction of the federal Crown-in-Council without separate constitutional status of a province). Unlike the governor general or a lieutenant governor, commissioners are not viceregal representatives of the Canadian monarch; rather, they are delegates of the federal Crown-in-Council and, under federal statutes governing the territories,Northwest Territories Act, enacted as s. 2 of the Northwest Territories Devolution Act, S.C. 2014, c. 2.Yukon Act, S.C. 2002, c. 7, as it appeared on 2020‑03‑05.Nunavut Act, S.C. 1993, c. 28, as it appeared on 2020‑03‑05. act following written instructions from Cabinet or the minister responsible (currently the minister of northern affairs). While commissioners formerly had a direct day-to-day role in administration and government and chaired the territory's executive council, today they are under instruction to act more like provincial lieutenant governors, as territorial assemblies have taken on more responsibility. Commissioners thus perform ceremonial duties similar to those of the monarch and viceroys, including reading the speech from the throne at the opening of the territorial legislature and presenting commendations to Canadian Forces members for long-term or outstanding service to the office. Possible candidates for the position are selected by the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments. The official appointment is made by the Governor General-in-Council (the federal government).
Current Canadian commissioners Symbol of office Territory Current commissioner Commissioner since Northwest Territories Gerald Kisoun May 14, 2024 Nunavut Eva Aariak January 14, 2021 Yukon Adeline Webber May 31, 2023
Imperial China Senior public servants, commissioners and other high-ranking bureaucrats referred to collectively as mandarins.
Isle of Man In the local government system of the Isle of Man, a commissioner is an elected representative equivalent to a councillor. All town, village, district and parish local government bodies consist of commissioners, except for Douglas, which has a council and councillors.
Malawi Malawi's position of district commissioner refers to the person that is appointed by the president of Malawi to oversee the administration of any of its 28 districts. One commissioner is appointed per district. The position was created during the British colonial era, sustained during the Kamuzu Banda era and continues as a prominent position in democratic era in Malawi.
Scotland
Prior to the Acts of Union 1707, an elected member of the Estates (parliament) of Scotland held the office of commissioner, representing a constituency (the equivalent of a member of parliament in the contemporaneous Parliament of England). There were burgh commissioners and shire or stewartry commissioners.
United States
Current In many U.S. states, the legislative and executive decision-making bodies of counties are called the board of commissioners or county commission.
In Minnesota, Alaska, New Hampshire, New York, Texas and Tennessee, the heads of some statewide departments are called "commissioners".
In California, court commissioners are subordinate judicial officers granted many of the same authorities as judges, though not all.
In some states certain municipalities may have a planning or zoning authority composed of local officials or members of the public. These authorities can be called commissions with the members addressed as "commissioners".
Historic In the past, the U.S. government-appointed special commissioners for a variety of tasks. For example, the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1862 to 1889 was a commissioner, not a Cabinet secretary.
The Board of Navy Commissioners, a three-member United States Navy administrative body responsible for the navy's material support, existed from 1815 to 1842.General Records of the Department of the Navy, 1798-1947 - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.https://web.archive.org/web/20051207035057/http://www.history.navy.mil/library/guides/rg45-boards.htm Records of Boards and Commissions, 1812-90, Inventory of the Naval Records Collection of the Office of Naval Records and Library, in Record Group 45,] located at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.https://web.archive.org/web/20060914234414/http://www.history.navy.mil/library/special/civilian_personnel.htm Brief History of Civilian Personnel in the U.S. Navy Department], by Robert G. Albion, Recorder of Naval Administration, U.S. Navy, October 1943, online, last updated 6 November 2003, Naval Historical Center, accessed 13 September 2006.
Until 1968, federal courts appointed commissioners to perform routine judicial duties such as taking testimony, taking bail, and even enforcing laws such as the Fugitive Slave Act. These commissioners were replaced by United States magistrate judges.
General
Police
In police services in the Commonwealth of Nations and the United States, the title of commissioner typically designates the head of an entire police force.
In other countries, such as Latin American countries, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, etc., a commissioner is typically the commander of a major police station or a locally/regionally important police service. The equivalent ranks in the police forces of the United States and the United Kingdom are respectively captain and superintendent.
Other emergency services In firefighting services in the Commonwealth of Nations, the title of commissioner typically designates the head of an entire fire service in a particular jurisdiction, such as the commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service or the commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW, two separate fire authorities that operate within the Australian state of New South Wales.
International public and colonial context
British and Commonwealth overseas possessions The title of commissioner or district commissioner, as such, was used by the (gubernatorial) chief British official in: British India, now composed of four independent countries (Pakistan, India, Burma and Bangladesh), where the divisional commissioner was the head of one of the few divisions of a province and was higher than a deputy commissioner and lower than a secretary (now principal secretary) in the provincial capital. British Central Africa Territories of Zambesia and Rhodesia, administered under charter by the British South Africa Company The Oil Rivers Protectorate (from 5 June 1885 under a consul-general; soon renamed Niger Coast Protectorate), from 3 August 1891 till 1 January 1900 when it became the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria, hence under a high commissioner The Caribbean Turks and Caicos Islands, 1874 – 4 July 1959, as a dependency under the governor of Jamaica colony The Weihaiwei concession territory (held from China) from 1902 to 1938 Kamaran Island, in June 1915 taken from the Ottoman Empire and subordinated to the Aden Settlement, but not incorporated, till on 30 November 1967 it became part of the newly independent People's Republic of South Yemen. The UN trust territory of British Cameroons, only two incumbents, from 1 October 1954 (the only Special Resident succeeding himself till 1956) to 1 October 1961 when Southern British Cameroons was incorporated into the independent Republic of Cameroon (former French mandate of Cameroun), after the northern part united with Nigeria on 1 June 1961.
The title of commissioner was also used by the senior diplomatic representatives of Commonwealth countries in British colonies, such as: Hong Kong, before the handover to the People's Republic of China in 1997, after which they became known as consuls-general. Singapore, prior to independence in 1965, after which they became known as high commissioners.
Canada Canada calls its government officials in charge of export promotion "trade commissioners". There are 150 offices of the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service in Canada and abroad, and they "assist with export advice and guidance to help [Canadians] achieve [their] international business goals". The website devoted to the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service uses the Internet domain www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca.
European Union The European commissioners are the members of the European Commission, the cabinet of the European Union. Commissioners’ role closely resembles that of the ministers of the Union’s member states; each is assigned a portfolio under the authority of the president of the EU Commission, but they make important decisions collegially, often subject to approval by the European Parliament and/or the Council of the European Union, the two organs of the EU’s bicameral legislature.
French colonies The French equivalent, commissaire, was used for various officials employed at different levels of the colonial administration in several French-ruled countries.
Russian Empire After on 17 April 1914 Tannu Tuva (ethnically Mongolian) was declared a Russian 'protected' area (Uryanhay [Urjanhaj] kray), two subsequent Russian commissioners for the affairs of Urjanhai Kray (1914–1915 A.P. Cererin (Tsererin) and 1915–1917 Yu.V. Grigoryev) were appointed, alongside the last native tribal paramount chief (title Ambyn-noyon), followed by a single commissar of the provisional government (October 1917 – 16 March 1918 Aleksey Aleksandrovich Turchaninov) until czarist rule collapsed for good, giving way to the Soviet regime
United Nations administration A UN commissioner appointed in 1949 supervised the transition of the UN Trust territory of Libya (a former Italian colony; actually Tripolitania and Cyrenaica each was under a British administrator, in 1949 restyled Resident, Fezzan under a French military governor, in 1950 also restyled résident) to independence as a united monarchy in 1951.
United States From the mid-19th century until 1939, two U.S. government cabinet departments used the title "commissioner" for officials posted abroad who did not enjoy diplomatic status. U.S. federal agencies have not titled officials posted abroad as commissioners since 1939.
U.S. Department of Agriculture