(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
| Tenure | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| French protectorate of Mauritania | ||
| Xavier Coppolani, | ||
| French civil territory of Mauritania | Incorporated into French West Africa | |
| Xavier Coppolani, | ||
| Xavier Coppolani, | ||
| Louis Frèrejean, | ||
| Bernard Laurent Montané-Capdebosq, | ||
| Henri Joseph Eugène Gouraud, | ||
| Claudel, | ||
| Aubert, | ||
| Henri Hippolyte Patey, | ||
| Charles Paul Isidore Mouret, | ||
| Louis Jules Albert Obissier, | ||
| Nicolas Jules Henri Gaden, | ||
| Nicolas Jules Henri Gaden, | ||
| Albéric Auguste Fournier, | ||
| Alphonse Paul Albert Choteau, | ||
| René Héctor Émile Chazal, | ||
| Gabriel Omer Descemet, | ||
| Louis François Antonin, | ||
| Gabriel Omer Descemet, | ||
| Jean-Baptiste Victor Chazelas, | ||
| Richard Edmond Maurice Édouard Brunot, | ||
| Jean-Baptiste Victor Chazelas, | ||
| Jules Marcel de Coppet, | ||
| Jean Louis Beyries, | ||
| Oswald Durand, | ||
| Charles André Dumas, | ||
| Jean Louis Beyries, | ||
| Jean Louis Beyries, | ||
| Christian-Robert-Roger Laigret, | ||
| René Babin, | ||
| Georges Poirier, | ||
| Mauritania Overseas Territory of France | ||
| Georges Poirier, | ||
| Lucien Eugène Geay, | ||
| Henry Jean Marie de Mauduit, | ||
| Édouard Louis Terrac, | ||
| Jacques Camille Marie Rogué, | ||
| Pierre Messmer, | ||
| Pierre Messmer, | ||
| Albert Jean Mouragues, | ||
| Jean Paul Parisot, | ||
| Albert Jean Mouragues, | ||
| Henri Joseph Marie Bernard, | ||
| Amédée Joseph Émile Jean Pierre Anthonioz, | ||
| 28 November 1960 | Independence as Islamic Republic of Mauritania | |
For continuation after independence, see: Heads of state of Mauritania
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