Jimmy Governor was born around 1875 on the Talbragar River near Denison Town, New South Wales, to Tommy Governor, an Aboriginal man of the Namoi River region, and Annie Fitzgerald, a woman of mixed Irish and Aboriginal descent. He was the eldest of eight children, and the family moved often as his father worked various bush jobs. His early education was inconsistent, attending multiple schools across the state, but he was literate and described as “smart” and “cheerful.”

Jimmy’s father was intelligent and hard-working but received no real benefit after discovering a silver field near Dunedoo, which led to lifelong bitterness. The family lived a marginal existence and were eventually absorbed into the Aboriginal reserve system, which systematically segregated and restricted Indigenous families in the colony.

Jimmy followed his father’s example and worked various jobs including fencing, stock mustering, woodcutting, and refused to rely on rations. In 1896, he briefly joined the New South Wales Mounted Police as a tracker. However, his service ended poorly, reportedly due to an inappropriate relationship with a selector’s daughter. This event may have affected his trust in institutions and white society.

In 1898, he met 15-year-old Ethel Page in Gulgong. She became pregnant, and they married in December that year. The interracial marriage was scandalized by both her family and white society. Their son was born in April 1899. Disapproval from Ethel’s family and their community deeply affected Jimmy. By 1900, the couple relocated to Breelong, where Jimmy took a fencing job with the Mawbey family. At Breelong, Ethel endured daily ridicule from the Mawbey women due to her marriage.

On the night of July 20, 1900, Jimmy Governor, his wife Ethel, brother Joe, and friend Jack Underwood marched toward the Mawbey homestead in Breelong, New South Wales. Jimmy claimed he intended only to confront Mrs. Mawbey about repeated slights made toward his wife, but when his confrontation was met with laughter, he snapped. He bludgeoned Mrs. Mawbey and Ellen Kerz with a hardwood club. What followed was a bloody spree: four members of the Mawbey household were killed, and two others severely injured. Three children survived by hiding or fleeing.

The group returned to their bush camp. Realizing the scope of their actions, they split up. Jimmy told Ethel to walk with their baby to Dubbo, while the men began a desperate, violent flight across New South Wales. On July 23, they murdered Alexander McKay near Ulan. The next day, they brutally killed Elizabeth O'Brien, her infant son James, and assaulted her nurse Catherine Bennett at Merriwa.

On July 26, they murdered Kieran Fitzpatrick, settling a personal grudge. By now, New South Wales was in full panic. Over 200 police officers and nearly 2,000 civilians joined what became the largest manhunt in Australian history. The Governor brothers were resourceful and evaded capture for months, stealing horses, supplies, and weapons. They were declared outlaws in October 1900.

On October 12, Constable Richard Harris was wounded during a shootout with the brothers. The next day, Jimmy was shot through the mouth by a civilian, but he managed to escape with Joe’s help. Severely wounded and starving, Jimmy remained hidden in the Bobin area. On October 27, he was finally captured after a local settler, John Wallace, organized an ambush at his campsite.

His brother Joe was killed on October 31 by settler John Wilkinson after being surprised while asleep by a campfire.

Jimmy was transported to Sydney, tried for the murder of Ellen Kerz, and found guilty. His plea that he had been provoked by racist abuse was not enough to save him. On January 18, 1901, Jimmy Governor was executed at Darlinghurst Gaol. His accomplice Jack Underwood had already been hanged four days earlier.