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At the beginning of the colony in 1663, the seeds for "the Split" were sown by the Lords Proprietors by effectively setting up "two governments" at opposite ends of their new realm - the Albemarle Region in North Carolina and the Charles Town region in South Carolina.

In 1664, Sir William Berkeley (one of the Lords Propretors) appointed William Drummond as the first governor of the new colony of Carolina , and he convened the first governmental assembly on the banks of Hall's Creek in what is now known as Pasquotank County, North Carolina. From 1664 to 1670, the entire colony was living in what is now North Carolina - the first South Carolina settlement arrived in 1670.

From 1670 to 1691, the Lords Proprietors appointed separate governors - one for the Albemarle region, one for the Charles Town region. Most of the early governors were "less than adequate" in their administration of their domains, and "the people" complained bitterly to the Lords Proprietors and demanded better leadership. Many sailed over to England at their own expense to bring about positive change.

In 1691, the Lords Proprietors attempted to solve the problem by appointing a "single governor" (Philip Ludwell) over the entire colony - to be based in Charles Town - and that governor would have a "deputy governor" to administer the Albermarle region. The goal was to have a "single voice" but to provide the people with access to that single voice. In theory, this was a good start, but it simply did not work out as envisioned. Change took time, yet "the people" persisted.

In 1714, the Lords Proprietors appointed Charles Eden as the first true governor of what was now called North Carolina. The existing governor at Charles Town, Charles Craven, now only administered South Carolina. From this point forward North Carolina and South Carolina had separate governors and separate state administrations, never to look back.

None of the Lords Proprietors ever lived in their colony, and most of their appointed governors had never before held any public office nor had any real idea of how to govern - some did, but very few. Many times, the Lord Proprietors did take action - but, many times these actions turned out for the worse instead of for the better.

In South Carolina the last governor appointed by the Lord Proprietors ended his term in 1719, whereas the last governor appointed by the Lord Proprietors in North Carolina ended his term in 1731.

In 1719, the new governor of South Carolina was "elected by the people," and the Crown immediately took control of South Carolina. Between 1719 and 1729, the Crown began asserting its will in North Carolina, but it was not considered under royal control until 1729.  

In 1729, the Crown dissolved the Proprietors' charter and assumed full control of both colonies. "The Split," that had been in the works for decades had only become official - finally. From this time until the American Revolution, all governors were either appointed or approved by King George II or King George III of England.

The governors of the Royal Period and later will be discussed in each separate colony's successive web pages herein.