For the Miocene ape, see Proconsul (genus)

Under the Roman Empire a proconsul was a promagistrate filling the office of a consul. Rome often appointed a proconsul as governor of an outlying province.

By analogy, a leader appointed by a foreign power during military occupation or colonization is sometimes described as a proconsul. For example, the Wall Street Journal described the Civilian Administrator of Iraq as a "modern proconsul".