Secretary of State for the Colonies

Secretary of State for the Colonies
Royal arms of His Majesty's Government
Longest serving Joseph Chamberlain 29 June 1895–16 September 1903
Colonial Office
Style	The Right Honourable
Type	Secretary of state Great Office of State
Member of	Cabinet Privy Council
Reports to	Prime Minister
Nominator	Prime Minister
Appointer	The King (on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation	27 February 1768 (1st time) 12 June 1854 (2nd time)
First holder	The Earl of Hillsborough (1st time) Sir George Grey (2nd time)
Final holder	Welbore Ellis (1st time) Frederick Lee (2nd time)
Abolished	8 March 1782 (1st time) 1 August 1966 (2nd time)
Superseded by	Foreign Secretary
Deputy	Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies

The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom's minister in charge of managing the British Empire.

The colonial secretary never had responsibility for the provinces and princely states of India, which had its own secretary of state.

From 1768 until 1966, the secretary of state was supported by an under-secretary of state for the colonies (at times an under-secretary of state for war and the colonies), and latterly by a minister of state.