List of governors-general of India

The Regulating Act of 1773 created the office with the title of Governor-General of Presidency of Fort William, or Governor-General of Bengal to be appointed by the Court of Directors of the East India Company (EIC).The Court of Directors assigned a Council of Four (based in India) to assist the Governor General, and decision of council was binding on the Governor General during 1773-1784.

The Saint Helena Act 1833 (or Government of India Act 1833) re-designated the office with the title of Governor-General of India.

After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the company rule was brought to an end, but the British India along with princely states came under the direct rule of the British Crown.The Government of India Act 1858 created the office of Secretary of State for India in 1858 to oversee the affairs of India, which was advised by a new Council of India with 15 members (based in London). The existing Council of Four was formally renamed as the Council of Governor General of India or Executive Council of India. The Council of India was later abolished by Government of India Act 1935.

Following the adoption of the Government of India Act of 1858, the Governor-General as representing the Crown became known as the Viceroy. The designation 'Viceroy', although it was most frequently used in ordinary parlance, had no statutory authority, and was never employed by Parliament. Although the Proclamation of 1858 announcing the assumption of the government of India by the Crown referred to Lord Canning as "first Viceroy and Governor-General", none of the Warrants appointing his successors referred to them as 'Viceroys', and the title, which was frequently used in Warrants dealing with precedence and in public notifications, was basically one of ceremony used in connection with the state and social functions of the Sovereign's representative. The Governor-General continued to be the sole representative of the Crown, and the Government of India continued to be vee appointments of Governor-General of India were made by the British Crown upon the advice of Secretary of State for India. The office of Governor-General continued to exist as a ceremonial post in each of the new dominions until they adopted republican constitutions in 1950 and 1957 respectively.

List of Governors-General

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Notable events	Appointer
Before 1773 Governor General of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal) was named as Governor of Bengal, which was in existence since 1757 to 1772. For the list of Governors of Bengal see List of governors of Bengal.
Governors General of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), 1773–1833
	Warren Hastings (1732-1818)	20 October 1773 [nb 1]	8 February 1785	Regulating Act of 1773 Supreme Council of Bengal Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William (1774) was established Asiatic Society of Bengal (1784) Pitt's India Act (1784) Stopped Mughal pension to Shah Alam II Abolished the Dual System in Bengal Moved Treasury from Murshidabad to Calcutta James Hicky's Bengal Gazette- First Indian newspaper published (in 1780) First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–82) Second Anglo-Mysore war (1780–84) First Rohilla War of 1773–1774 Ring fence policy Creation of collector post The first Governor General to be prosecuted for impeachment Experimentation on land settlements. (1772-five years settlement, changed to 1 year in 1776) English Translation of Bhagwat Gita by Charles Wilkins[1]	East India Company (1773–1858)
	John Macpherson (acting) (1745–1821)	8 February 1785	12 September 1786
	Charles Cornwallis The Marquess Cornwallis [nb 2] (1738–1805)	12 September 1786	28 October 1793	Established lower courts and appellate courts Permanent Settlement in Bihar and Bengal in 1793 3rd Anglo-Mysore war (1790–92) Introduction of Cornwallis Code Introduction of Civil Services in India Sanskrit Vidyalaya at Benares (now Varanasi) established by Johnathan Duncan(then Governor of Bombay) Introduced Sunset Law
	John Shore (1751–1834)	28 October 1793	18 March 1798	Policy of Non-intervention Charter Act of 1793 Second Rohilla War 1794 Battle of Kharda between Nizam and Marathas (1795)
	Alured Clarke (acting) (1744–1832)	18 March 1798	18 May 1798
	Richard Wellesley, Earl of Mornington [nb 3] (1760–1842)	18 May 1798	30 July 1805	Introduction of Subsidiary Alliance (1798) Fourth Anglo Mysore War 1799 Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–05) Fort William College at Calcutta (1800) Raj Bhavan at Calcutta was established in 1803
	The Marquess Cornwallis (1738–1805)	30 July 1805	5 October 1805
	Sir George Barlow, Bt (acting) (1762–1847)	10 October 1805	31 July 1807	Sepoy mutiny at Vellore (The prelude to the First War of Independence of India) Bank of Calcutta (1806) established (later Imperial Bank of India, now State Bank of India)
	The Lord Minto (1751–1814)	31 July 1807	4 October 1813	Charter Act of 1813 Treaty of Amritsar, 1809 with Maharaja Ranjit Singh
	Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings [nb 4] (1754–1826)	4 October 1813	9 January 1823	Ended the policy of Non-intervention Third Anglo-Maratha War (1816-1818) Treaty of Sugauli (1816) Creation of Bombay Presidency in 1818 Establishment of Ryotwari System in Madras (1820) Establishment of Mahalwari System in Northern India (1822) Hindu College (now Presidency University) at Calcutta in 1817 The Pindari War (1817-1818) (Complete Destruction of the Pindari Clan of India) General Committee of Public Instruction was formed in 1823
	John Adam (acting) (1779–1825)	9 January 1823	1 August 1823	Licensing Regulations Calcutta Unitarian Committee established by Raja Ram Mohan Roy
	The Lord Amherst[nb 5] (1773–1857)	1 August 1823	13 March 1828	First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–26) (East India Company defeats Burmese King Bagyidaw and annexes Assam, Manipur, Arakan and Tenasserim) Establishment of Sanskrit College at Calcutta (1824) Treaty of Yandabo, 1826 (East India Company humiliates and extracts 1 million Pounds from the Burmese King Bagyidaw)
	William Butterworth Bayley (acting) (1782–1860)	13 March 1828	4 July 1828
Governors-General of India, 1833–1858
	Lord William Bentinck (1774–1839)	4 July 1828	20 March 1835	First Governor General of India Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829 Mahalwari System in Central India, Punjab And Western UP. Saint Helena Act 1833 or Charter Act 1833 (Christian Missionaries get Exclusive rights to spread Christianity in British India which included the present day Pakistan) Kol Rebellion in 1831 English Education Act 1835 Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata (1835)	East India Company (1773–1858)
	Charles Metcalfe, Bt (acting) (1785–1846)	20 March 1835	4 March 1836	Repealed 1823 Licensing Regulations Known as Liberator of India Press Establishment of Calcutta Public Library in 1836 (currently known as National Library of India)
	The Lord Auckland[nb 6] (1784–1849)	4 March 1836	28 February 1842	Tripartite Treaty in 1838 between British, Shah Shuja (a cruel Afghan traitor) and Maharaja Ranjit Singh against Dost Muhammad Khan. The First Anglo Afghan War(1840-1842) (British Army massacred by the strong Afghan army and militia during the 1842 Retreat from Kabul-worst British Military disaster) Bank of Bombay (1840) established (later Imperial Bank of India, now State Bank of India) First Bengali daily newspaper Sambad Prabhakar was published in 1839 Tattwabodhini Sabha was formed by Debendranath Tagore in 1839
	The Lord Ellenborough (1790–1871)	28 February 1842	June 1844	Gwalior War (1843) (British defeat Marathas) Bank of Madras (1843) established (later Imperial Bank of India, now State Bank of India)
	William Wilberforce Bird (acting) (1784–1857)	June 1844	23 July 1844
	Henry Hardinge[nb 7] (1785–1856)	23 July 1844	12 January 1848	The First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46) (British Empire defeats the Sikh Empire and confiscate major portion of its territory) Treaty of Lahore(1846) (British confiscate Kashmir from the Sikhs and sell it to Raja of Jammu for 75 lakh rupees) Establishment of Roorkee Engineering College (1847)[2]
	The Earl of Dalhousie[nb 8] (1812–1860)	12 January 1848	28 February 1856	Doctrine of Lapse in 1848 Bethune Collegiate School (1849) (was also known as Calcutta Female School) was established by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune Charles Wood Despatch (1854) Establishment of summer capital at Shimla Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852) (The sole aim of Dalhousie was to humiliate and annex more of Burmese Territories. Burma was attacked unprovoked) First Passenger train between Bombay and Thane (1853) First telegraph Line was laid between Diamond Harbour to Calcutta. (1851) Post Office Act, 1854 Established Public Works Department (1854) The Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-1849) (The British totally defeats the Sikh Empire) Santhal Rebellion (1855) (15,000 Santhals were killed by the British Army during the rebellion. Elephants were used to destroy Santhal Dwellings)
	The Viscount Canning[nb 9] (1812–1862)	28 February 1856	31 October 1858	Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 Indian Rebellion of 1857 University of Calcutta, University of Bombay, and University of Madras were set up in 1857
Governors-General and Viceroys of India, 1858–1947
	The Viscount Canning[nb 10] (1812–1862)	1 November 1858	21 March 1862	The Government of India Act, 1858 System of Budget introduced Formation of Imperial Civil Services Indigo Revolt in Bengal in 1859-60 Enactment of Indian Penal Code in 1860 Establishment of Archaeological Survey of India	Victoria (1837–1901)
	The Earl of Elgin (1811–1863)	21 March 1862	20 November 1863	Establishment of Calcutta High Court (2 July), Bombay High Court (14 August) and Madras High Court (15 August) in 1862
	Robert Napier (acting) (1810–1890)	21 November 1863	2 December 1863
	William Denison (acting) (1804–1871)	2 December 1863	12 January 1864
	Sir John Lawrence, Bt (1811–1879)	12 January 1864	12 January 1869	Bhutan War (1864-65) (The British defeated an undefended Bhutan and annexed Assam and Bengal Duars) Establishment of Shimla as India's summer capital in 1863 The Tabernacle of New Dispensation, a new Church established by Keshub Chandra Sen Establishment of Allahabad High Court in 1866
	The Earl of Mayo (1822–1872)	12 January 1869	8 February 1872	Assassinated by a Pathan Sher Ali Afridi Started the Census. Opening of Rajkumar college in Rajkot and Mayo College at Ajmer for political training of Indian Princes Started Financial decentralization Enacted IPC amendment-Sedition Act 1870 to tackle Wahabi Movement Keshub Chandra Sen establishes Indian Reform Association
	Sir John Strachey (acting) (1823–1907)	9 February 1872	23 February 1872
	The Lord Napier (acting) (1819–1898)	24 February 1872	3 May 1872
	The Lord Northbrook (1826–1904)	3 May 1872	12 April 1876	Jyotiba Phule launches The Satyashodhak Samaj in Maharashtra in 1873 against the caste system and Untouchability. Dramatic Performances Act, 1876
	The Lord Lytton (1831–1891)	12 April 1876	8 June 1880	Vernacular Press Act, 1878 Second Anglo-Afghan War, (1878–80) 1st Delhi Durbar out of 3 Queen Victoria assuming the title of 'Empress of India'
	The Marquess of Ripon (1827–1909)	8 June 1880	13 December 1884	First Factory Act (1881) Negotiable Instruments Act (1881) Repeal of the Vernacular Press Act (1882) Ilbert Bill (1883) Government resolution on local self-government (1882) Appointment of Education Commission under Sir William Hunter First complete Census
	The Earl of Dufferin (1826–1902)	13 December 1884	10 December 1888	Formation of Indian National Congress (1885) Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885)
	The Marquess of Lansdowne (1845–1927)	10 December 1888	11 October 1894	Indian Council Act 1892 Factory Act 1891 Setting up of Durand Commission in 1893 (India-Afghanistan)
	The Earl of Elgin (1849–1917)	11 October 1894	6 January 1899	Establishment of Ramkrishna Mission by Swami Vivekananda at Belur Math in 1897
	The Lord Curzon of Kedleston[nb 11] (1859–1925)	6 January 1899	18 November 1905	Partition of Bengal (1905) Official Secrets Act 1904 to curb free press 2st Delhi Durbar out of 3 (1903) Appointment of Police Commission under Sir Andrew Frazer Appointment of Raleigh University Commission (1902) Passing of Indian Universities Act 1904 2nd Swadeshi Movement (1905-1911) against Partition of Bengal by Lal-Bal-Pal-Aurbindo Ghosh) Benaras Hindu Girl's School was established by Annie Besant in 1904 He said, "India is the pivot of our Empire.... If the Empire loses any other part of its Dominion we can survive, but if we lose India, the sun of our Empire will have set." [3]
	The Earl of Minto (1845–1914)	18 November 1905	23 November 1910	Morley-Minto Reforms 1909 or The Indian Councils Act 1909 Split in Congress in 1907 Seditious meetings (prohibition) Act 1907 to curb extremist movement Establishment of Muslim League by Aga Khan III (1906) Indian Press Act, 1910 Jamsetji Tata established TISCO in 1907	Edward VII (1901–1910)
	The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst (1858–1944)	23 November 1910	4 April 1916	Third Delhi Durbar (1911) Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911) Partition of Bengal to form Bihar province (1912) McMahon border line was created between India and China in 1914 Ghadar Mutiny (1915)	George V (1910–1936)
	The Lord Chelmsford (1868–1933)	4 April 1916	2 April 1921	Formation of Indian Home Rule Movement (1916) Lucknow Pact (1916) Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919) Government of India Act 1919 Rowlatt Act (1919) Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre (1919) Imperial Bank of India (now State Bank of India established in 1921)
	The Earl of Reading (1860–1935)	2 April 1921	3 April 1926	Malabar rebellion (also known as Moplah Rebellion), first Ethnic Rebellion (1921) Non-cooperation movement (1921–22) Rabindranath Tagore founded Visva-Bharati University in 1921 Chauri Chaura incident (1922)
	The Lord Irwin (1881–1959)	3 April 1926	18 April 1931	Simon Commission (1928) Nehru Report (1928) Death of Lala Lajpat Rai (1928) Fourteen Points of Jinnah (1929) Purna Swaraj declaration (1929) Salt March (1930) Dharasana Satyagraha (1930) First Round Table Conferences (1930) Allahabad Address (1930) Chittagong armoury raid in 1930 Gandhi–Irwin Pact (1931) Execution of Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar (1931)
	The Earl of Willingdon (1866–1941)	18 April 1931	18 April 1936	Poona Pact between Mahatma Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar in 1932 Pakistan Declaration (1933) Government of India Act 1935 Reserve Bank of India established by passing The Reserve Bank of India Act 1934. Foundation of Congress Socialist Party in 1934
	The Marquess of Linlithgow (1887–1952)	18 April 1936	1 October 1943	Indian provincial elections (1937) Indian entry into World War II (1939) Day of Deliverance (1939) Lahore Resolution (1940) Cripps Mission (1942) Formation of Indian Legion (1942) Quit India movement (1942) Formation of Indian National Army (1942) Bengal famine (1943)	Edward VIII (1936)
	The Viscount Wavell (1883–1950)	1 October 1943	21 February 1947	C. R. formula (1944) Simla Conference (1945) Cabinet Mission (1946) Interim Government was formed in 1946 Direct Action Day (1946) Royal Indian Navy mutiny (1946)	George VI (1936–1952)
	The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma (1900–1979)	21 February 1947	15 August 1947	Indian Independence Act 1947	George VI (1936–1952)
Governors-General of the Dominion of India, 1947–1950
	The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma[nb 12] (1900–1979)	15 August 1947	21 June 1948	First Governor-General of Independent India	George VI (1936–1952)
	Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1878–1972)	21 June 1948	26 January 1950	Last Governor-General of India, before the office was permanently abolished in 1950	George VI (1936–1952)

Notes

Originally joined on 28 April 1772
Earl Cornwallis from 1762; created Marquess Cornwallis in 1792.
Created Marquess Wellesley in 1799.
Earl of Moira prior to being created Marquess of Hastings in 1816
Created Earl Amherst in 1826.
Created Earl of Auckland in 1839.
Created Viscount Hardinge in 1846.
Created Marquess of Dalhousie in 1849.
Created Earl Canning in 1859.
Created Earl Canning in 1859.
The Lord Ampthill was acting Governor-General in 1904
Created Earl Mountbatten of Burma on 28 October 1947.

Citations

Clarke, John James (1 January 1997). Oriental Enlightenment: The Encounter Between Asian and Western Thought. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415133753.
Roorkee Engineering College
Day B., Richard & Gaido Daniel (2009). Witnesses to Permanent Revolution: The Documentary Record. London: LEIDEN • BOSTON. p. 406. ISBN 978 90 04 167704.

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[1] Originally joined on 28 April 1772

[3] Earl Cornwallis from 1762; created Marquess Cornwallis in 1792.

[4] Created Marquess Wellesley in 1799.

[5] Earl of Moira prior to being created Marquess of Hastings in 1816

[6] Created Earl Amherst in 1826.

[7] Created Earl of Auckland in 1839.

[8] Created Viscount Hardinge in 1846.

[10] Created Marquess of Dalhousie in 1849.

[11] Created Earl Canning in 1859.

[12] Created Earl Canning in 1859.

[13] The Lord Ampthill was acting Governor-General in 1904

[15] Created Earl Mountbatten of Burma on 28 October 1947.

[2] Clarke, John James (1 January 1997). Oriental Enlightenment: The Encounter Between Asian and Western Thought. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415133753.

[IIT_Roorkee-9] Roorkee Engineering College

[14] Day B., Richard & Gaido Daniel (2009). Witnesses to Permanent Revolution: The Documentary Record. London: LEIDEN • BOSTON. p. 406. ISBN 978 90 04 167704.

List of governors-general of India

List of Governors-General

See also

Citations