# Governors of Italian Somaliland, 1889 to 1960

> Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Vincenzo Filonardi, Antonio Cecchi, Emilio Dulio, Giorgio Sorrentino, Igino Badolo, Ugo Ferrandi and others.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/institutions/governors-of-italian-somaliland/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## In short

Italy declared a protectorate over parts of the Benadir coast in 1889. The Filonardi company ran the coast from 11 October 1893, then the Benadir Company from 1 May 1898 to 1905. Italian Somalia became a colony on 30 April 1908. British forces took Mogadishu on 25 February 1941, and on 1 April 1950 the territory became a United Nations trust territory under Italian administration until 1 July 1960. ([World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland))

Each row below gives the holder's name in English and Somali spelling, dates in office and the source for that row. Dates are from [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland); where sources give different dates, the note says so. How we source: [How we check facts](/en/about/how-we-check-facts/).

## Company and royal commissioners, 1893 to 1901

| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vincenzo Filonardi | 11 October 1893 to 15 July 1896 | Commissioner for the Filonardi company | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Vincenzo Filonardi | 15 July 1896 to 16 September 1896 | Royal Commissioner | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Antonio Cecchi | 17 September 1896 to 26 November 1896 | Royal Commissioner | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Emilio Dulio | 26 November 1896 to 25 January 1897 | acting | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Giorgio Sorrentino | 26 January 1897 to 20 November 1897 | Royal Commissioner | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Emilio Dulio | 20 November 1897 to 30 April 1898 | Royal Civil and Military Commissioner | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Emilio Dulio | 1 May 1898 to 30 June 1901 | Royal Commissioner (Benadir Company period) | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |

## Governors and commissioners, 1901 to 1941

| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emilio Dulio | 1 July 1901 to 5 October 1903 | Governor | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Igino Badolo | July 1901 to April 1902 | acting for Dulio | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Ugo Ferrandi | 5 October 1903 to 11 November 1903 | acting | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Eugenio Cappello | 12 November 1903 to 9 December 1903 | acting | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Alessandro Sapelli | 9 December 1903 to 30 April 1905 | acting to 15 April 1904 | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Luigi Mercatelli | 1 May 1905 to 24 January 1906 | Royal Commissioner | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Alessandro Sapelli | 25 January 1906 to 5 February 1906 | acting | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Giovanni Cerrina Feroni | 5 February 1906 to 18 May 1907 | acting | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Tommaso Carletti | 18 May 1907 to 31 August 1907 | Civil Commissioner | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Alberto Corsi | 31 August 1907 to 18 January 1908 | acting | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Tommaso Carletti | 18 January 1908 to 27 December 1908 | Governor | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Gino Macchioro Vivalba | 27 December 1908 to 28 April 1910 |  | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Giacomo De Martino | 28 April 1910 to 16 September 1916 |  | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Giovanni Cerrina Feroni | 16 September 1916 to 20 June 1920 |  | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Carlo Riveri | 21 June 1920 to 8 December 1923 |  | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Cesare Maria De Vecchi | 8 December 1923 to 5 June 1928 |  | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Guido Corni | 5 June 1928 to 30 June 1931 |  | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Maurizio Rava | 1 July 1931 to 7 March 1935 |  | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Rodolfo Graziani | 7 March 1935 to 22 May 1936 |  | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Angelo De Rubeis | 7 January 1936 to 25 May 1936 | acting for Graziani | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Ruggiero Santini | 25 May 1936 to 15 December 1937 |  | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Francesco Saverio Caroselli | 15 December 1937 to 11 June 1940 |  | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Gustavo Pesenti | 11 June 1940 to 31 January 1941 | acting | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Carlo De Simone | 31 January 1941 to 20 March 1941 | acting | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |

## Trans-Juba, 1925 to 1926

| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrado Zoli | 10 July 1925 to 31 December 1926 | High Commissioner | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |

## British administration, 1941 to 1950

| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Gordon Cunningham | 25 February 1941 to 20 March 1941 | General Officer Commanding, East Africa Force | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| William Eric Halstead Scupham | 14 March 1941 to 3 May 1943 | Deputy Chief Political Officer | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Denis Henry Wickham | 3 May 1943 to 1948 | Chief Administrator | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Eric Armar Vully de Candole | 1948 to 1948 | Chief Administrator | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Geoffrey Massey Gamble | 1948 to 1 April 1950 | Chief Administrator | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |

## Trust Territory under Italian administration, 1950 to 1960

| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giovanni Fornari | 1 April 1950 to 1953 | Administrator | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Enrico Martino | 1953 to 1957 | Administrator | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Enrico Anzilotti | 1957 to 24 July 1958 | Administrator | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| Mario Di Stefano | 24 July 1958 to 30 June 1960 | Administrator | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |
| [Abdullahi Issa](/en/people/abdullahi-issa/) (Cabdullaahi Ciise Maxamuud) | 29 February 1956 to 1 July 1960 | first Somali Prime Minister of the trust territory | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland) |

## Related pages

- [Italian Somaliland and the trusteeship](/en/history/nationalist-era-1943-1960/)
- [Fascist rule and the war, 1923 to 1941](/en/history/fascist-rule-and-the-war-1923-1941/)
- [Prime ministers of Somalia](/en/people/prime-ministers-of-somalia/)

## Sources

- [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html)
- [Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Italian_Somaliland)

We also publish every row of every office-holder list as one open data file: [office-holders.csv](/data/institutions/office-holders.csv).

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