Governor Generals of British India

Governor Generals of British India

The Governor-General of India, the head of the British administration was created in 1774, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William, or Governor-General of Bengal.

By the Government of India Act 1833, the Governors-General of Bengal were re-designated as Governors-General of India.

Robert Clive (1757-67) :

Robert Clive was the first among the company’s representatives to take charge and usurp power from the Indigenous rulers.

After winning the Battle of Plassey, he became the Governor of Bengal from 1757-60 and again from 1765-67.

It was he who started dual Government in Bengal in 1765. He took necessary measures to ensure that the company’s servants are not indulging in any other profiting business endeavors like trade.

Warren Hastings (20 Oct 1774 - 1 Feb 1785)

• Warren Hastings was the first officially appointed Governor General of India under the East India Company.
• Warren Hastings initiated certain drastic measure to consolidate the power of Company like withdrawing the annual tribute that was paid to the Mughals. Alliances to challenge Hyder Ali of Carnatic etc.
• The equation of power was beginning to disrupt with Hastings taking away the powers of the Nawab of Bengal.
• However, Hastings maintained a specific interest In Indian literature and culture which led him to initiate the process of translating Bhagavat Gita into English.
• He laid the foundation of Asiatic Society of Bengal with the help of Sir William Jones in 1784.
• In 1776 Manu’s Law was Translated into English as Code of Gentoo Laws under his orders

Sir John Macpherson (1 Feb 1785 - 12 Sep 1786)

• Sir John Macpherson was appointed temporarily as an acting governor after the resignation of Warren Hastings
• The ruling policies and plans of Company were still not in place during his appointment. His administration was more or less plagued with various kinds of discrepancies including corruption.

Lord Cornwallis (12 Sep 1786 -28 Oct 1793)

• The institutional discrepancies within the company’s rule were put to an end with the Lord Cornwallis assuming the position of Governor General.
• He introduced land taxation reforms in territories under the company which is known as the Permanent Settlement.
• He put in place a new civil and criminal code along with administrative reforms (Cornwallis code).
• He led the company forces during the Third Anglo-Mysore War.
• He also established a Sanskrit college at Benares in 1791.

Sir John Shore (28 Oct 1793 -18 Mar 1798)

• Sir John Shore’s administration tried to avoid hostilities more or less and run a smooth course.
• His policies were criticized by the higher officials as weak and timid and during his period the French force also began to grow

Sir Alured Clarke (18 Mar 1798 -18 May 1798)

• Sir Alured Clarke was the acting governor of India for a short period of two months.
• He started Fort William College to train those involved with the administration of India.

Lord Wellesley (1798-1805)

• Lord Wellesley had described himself as the Bengal tiger
• He created Madras presidency.
• Introduced the system of subsidiary alliance which provides for the maintaining of a British force within the kingdom to provide protection. The charge of the maintenance of these troops was borne by the rulers themselves.

Lord Minto (31 Jul 1807 -4 Oct 1813)

• Lord Minto was a Scottish diplomat who played a major role in expanding the reach of British Empire in Asian and African regions.

Earl of Moira (4 Oct 1813 -9 Jan 1823)

• Earl of Moira was in charge of overseeing the Gurkha War (1814-1816) and the final conquest of Marathas in 1818.
• During 1817, He led three armies to north, south and Deccan respectively under the leadership of General Sir Thomas Hislop.
• Apart from wars and victories he also looked after the revival of the Mughal Canal system.
• He introduced various administrative and educational reforms; diplomacy played a greater role in his actions as a governor general.

Lord Amherst (1 Aug 1823-13 Mar 1828)

• It was during his tenure that the first Burmese war of 1824 started which eventually led to the accession of Arakan and Tenasserim to the British Empire.

Lord William Bentinck (4 Jul 1828 -20 Mar 1835)

• Bentick was known for risking the good terms with military men due to wage cuts and other cost cuts.
• He was particular about the use of English in high courts rather than Persian.
• He became famous for his steps in abolishing the barbaric practice of sati and female infanticide.
• Abysmal disregard for anything remotely Indian, whether culture or education was evident in Bentick’s actions.

Sir Charles Metcalfe (20 Mar 1835 -4 Mar 1836)

• Charles Metcafe held the position of Governor General of India for almost one year.
• His measures as a governor included many liberating steps like freedom of press.
• Though it helped him gain respect among the locals, these actions strained his relations with the company and he was sent back.

Lord Auckland (4 Mar 1836 -28 Feb 1842)

• Lord Auckland directed his powers more into the educational aspect of the administration
• He brought many changes and improvements to the native schools
• Under his tenure the commercial and industry sector of India began to improve.

Lord Ellen borough (28 Feb 1842 -June 1844)

• Lord Ellen borough came to India with noble ideas of restoring peace in Asia.
• Upon his arrival as the governor general, he had to deal with the afghan issues like massacre at Kabul and also the rebellious sepoys or Madras presidency.
• His peace endeavors led him to more wars throughout his term as Governor General.

Sir Henry Hardinge (23 Jul 1844 -12 Jan 1848)

• Henry Hardinge began his career as governor general by dealing the tribal war and the first Sikh war during 1845.
• Hardinge, himself led the armies in some of the battles due to his army background
• Treaty of Lahore and Treaty of Amritsar was signed during his tenure.

Lord Dalhousie (12 Jan 1848 -28 Feb 1856)

• Lord Dalhousie is described as both the destroyer and the savior of Company in India.
• Bizzare policies were implemented by him including the doctrine of lapse which forces an heirless Indian royal to give in his kingdom to the Company.
• He commanded the second Burmese war which brought parts of Myanmar under the British Administration.
• He often quoted as the designer of modern India due to his contributions to the fields of communication, roads , postal services, rails etc
• He also legalized re-marriage and several others laws were passed during his time.

Lord Canning (28 Feb 1856 -21 March 1862)

• Lord Canning’s administration was a transition period which affected the political and social landscape of India.
• He tried to restore law and order by putting new system of administration in place.
• Universities if Calcutta, Bombay and madras were established in 1857 during his time.
• There were other changes too like the introduction of Indian Penal code 1860, Introduction of Criminal procedure code 1861 and Archeological survey of India in 1861.

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