This is a list of the heads of state of Tanzania, from the independence of Tanganyika in 1961 to the present day.
From 1961 to 1962 the head of state under the Tanganyika Independence Act 1961 was the Queen of Tanganyika, Elizabeth II, who was also the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The Monarch was represented in Tanganyika by a Governor-General. Tanganyika became a republic under the Constitution of 1962 and the Monarch and Governor-General were replaced by an executive President. After the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964, the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba united with mainland Tanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which was later renamed to the United Republic of Tanzania.
The succession to the throne was the same as the succession to the British throne.
The Governor-General was the representative of the Monarch in Tanganyika and exercised most of the powers of the Monarch. The Governor-General was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the Monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931, the Governor-General was appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of Tanganyika without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the Chief Justice served as Officer Administering the Government.