|GOVERNOR-GENERALS OF INDIA|
GOVERNOR-GENERALS OF INDIA
Lord William Bentinck
● Most liberal and enlightened amongst all
the Governor-Generals of India,
● Regarded as the ‘Father of Modern
Western Education in India’.
● Abolition of Sati in 1829.
● Suppression of Thugi (1830).
● Passed the Charter Act, of 1833.
● Deposition of Raja of Mysore and
annexation of his territories (1831).
● Abolition of Provincial court of Appeal and
appointment of commissioners instead.
He was the First Governor-General of
● First Medical College was opened in
Calcutta in 1835.
● Treaty of Friendship with Ranjit Singh
● Annexed Coorg (1834) and Central
Sir Charles Metcalfe
Passed the famous Press Law, which
liberated the press in India. He is known as
the liberator of press.
Lord Auckland (1836-42)
● First Afghan War (1836-42).
● Death of Ranjit Singh (1839).
Lord Ellenborough (1842-44)
● Brought an end to the Afghan War
● Abolished Slavery
● Sind was annexed by Charles Napier.
He was appointed as First Governor of
Lord Hardinge (1844-48)
● First Anglo-Sikh War and the Treaty of
Lord Dalhousie (1848-56)
● Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49) and
annexation of Punjab.
● Abolished titles and pensions.
● Widow Remarriage Act (1856).
● Introduced Doctrine of Lapse.
● Woods Educational Despatch of 1854.
● Introduction of the Railway, Telegraph
and the Postal System in 1853.
● Establishment of a separate Public
Works Department in every province.
● An Engineering College was
established at Roorkee.
● Planned to open universities in
Calcutta, Bombay and Madras on the
model of Universities of London.
● Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852).
● Santhal uprisings (1855-56).
● Charter Act of 1853.
VICEROYS OF INDIA
Lord Canning (1856-1862)
● Revolt of 1857.
● Universities of Calcutta, Bombay and
Madras were opened in 1857.
● He was last Governor-General
appointed by the East India Company
and the first Viceroy.
● Passed the Government of India Act
of 1858, which ended the rule of the
East India Company.
● The Doctrine of Lapse was withdrawn.
The Indian Penal Code (1859) was
passed. Income tax was introduced for
the first time in 1858.
● The Indigo riots in Bengal.
● The Indian Councils Act of 1861 was
passed, which proved to be a landmark
in the constitutional history of India.
● Indian High Court Act, (1861). Under
this act, High Courts were opened in
● Bombay and Madras founded in 1857.
Lord Elgin-I (1862-63)
● Wahabi Movement suppressed.
Sir John Lawrence
● High Courts were established at
Calcutta, Bombay and Madras in
1865. War with Bhutan in 1865.
● The Punjab Tenancy Act, was passed.
Lord Mayo (1869-72)
● Introduction of financial
decentralisation in India and made
the first Provincial Settlement in
● He established the Department of
Agriculture and Commerce.
● He organised the Statistical Survey of
India. In 1872, the first Census was
done in India. He established the
Rajkot College in Kathiawar and
Mayo College at Ajmer.
● He was the only Viceroy to be murdered
in office by a convict in the Andaman in
● He introduced state railways.
Lord Northbrook (1872-76)
● In 1872, Kuka Rebellion in Punjab led by
Ram Singh. Famine in Bihar (1876).
● He resigned over Afghanistan question.
● Trial of Gaekwads of Baroda.
Lord Lytton (1876-80)
● Most unpopular Viceroy of India.
● Arranged the Grand Darbar in Delhi (in
1877), when the country was suffering
from severe famine.
● Passed the Royal Title Act, (1876) and
Queen Victoria was declared as
● He passed Arms Act, (1878) the infamous
Vernacular Press Act, (1878) and lowered
the maximum age of ICS from 21 to 19
● Second Anglo-Afgan War 1878-80.
● Famine Commission under Starchy was
appointed by him in 1878.
● In 1876, Deccan Agrarian Relief Act was
Lord Ripon (1880-1884)
● He was appointed by the Liberal Party
under Gladstone. Repealed the Vernacular
Press Act in 1882.
● The first Factory Act, came in 1881
(Improve the labour condition). In rural
areas, Local Boards were set-up in 1889,
Madras Local Board Act, was passed. He
was famously known as “Father of Local
● First Official Census in India (1881).
● Famine code was adopted (1883).
● Appointed Hunter Commission for
Educational reforms in 1882.
● Ilbeqrt Bill Controversy (1883-84), which
empowered Indian Judges to inquire into
● Foundation of Punjab University.
Lord Dufferin (1884-88)
● Third Anglo-Burmese War and annexation
of Burma (1885).
● Formation of Indian National Congress
(INC) in 1885.
● Bengal Tenacy Act, in 1885.
● Dufferin called the Indian National
Congress as ‘microscopic minority’.
Lord Lansdowne (1888-94)
● Factory Act, of 1891.
● Indian Council Act, of 1892.
● Civil Services were classified- Imperial,
Provincial and Subordinate services.
● In 1891, Age of Consent Act, under which
marriage of girl below 12 years was
● Appointment of Durand Commission in
1893 to define the line between British
India and Afghanistan.
Lord Elgin II (1894-1899)
● The Santhal uprising of 1899.
● Munda uprising of 1899.
● Lyall Commission appointed after famine.
● Assassination of two British officials by the
Chapekar brothers in 1897.
● Plague spread in Bombay.
Lord Curzon (1899-1905)
● Appointed a Police Commission in 1902
under Andrew Frazer.
● Universities Commission appointed in
1902, under Thomas Railey.
● Indian Universities Act, passed in 1904.
● Famine Commission under Macdonell.
● A new Department of Commerce and
● Partition of Bengal (16th October, 1905).
● The risings of the frontier tribes in 1897-98
led him to create the North-Western
● He passed the Ancient Monuments
Protection Act, (1904) to restore India’s
cultural heritage. Thus, the Archaeological
Survey of India was established.
● Passed the Indian Coinage and Paper
Currency Act, (1899) and put India on a
● PUSA Agricultural Institute in 1903.
Lord Minto-II (1910-1910)
● Swadeshi Movement.
● Surat split (split in Congress between
the moderates and the extremists,
● Indian Councils Act, 1909 and
● Foundation of Muslim League, 1906.
● Newspapers Act, 1908.
● Annulment of the Partition of Bengal
● Bomb was thrown at Hardinge near
Chandni Chowk, but escaped unhurt.
● Transfer of capital from Calcutta to
Delhi in 1911.
● Darbar in Delhi and Coronation of
George V in 1911.
● In 1912, Bihar and Orissa separated
from Bengal and, became a new
● Establishment of Hindu Mahasabha
by Madan Mohan Malviya (1915).
● Gandhiji came back to India from
South Africa (1915).
● Government of India Act, 1919 also
known as Montague-Chelmsford
● Repressive Rowlatt Act, (1919).
● Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13th
● Home Rule Movement both by Tilak
and Annie Beasant.
● Saddler Commission on Education
● Appointment of Hunter Commission
to look into Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy.
● Chambers of Prince, 1921,
● Non Co-operation Movement Started,
Khilafat movement initiated.
● An Indian Sir SP Sinha was appointed
as the Governor of Bengal.
● Death of Tilak (1920).
Lord Reading (1921-1926)
● Rowlatt Act was repealed along with Press
Act of 1910.
● Holding of simultaneous examination for
the ICS in England and India from 1923.
Prince of Wales visited India in November,
● Moplah Rebellion (1921) took place in
● Chauri-Chaura incident and withdrawal of
● Formation of Swaraj Party by CR Das and
Motilal Nehru (1923).
● Communist Party of India founded by MN
● Kakori Train Conspiracy (1925).
● Vishwabharati University (1922).
● Lee Commission (1924) for public
services. Young Hilton Committee for
currency notes (1926).
● Royal Commission on agriculture.
● RSS founded in 1925.
● Murder of Swami Shraddhanand.
Lord Irwin (1926-1931)
● Simon Commission visited India in 1928.
Buttler Commission in 1927.
● Deepawali declaration by Lord Irwin (1929).
● All India Youth Congress, 1928.
● Nehru Report, 1928.
● Lahore Session of the Congress, (1929)
and Poorna Swaraj declaration.
● First Round Table Conference 1930,
Congress boycotted it.
● Civil Disobedience Movement, 1930
● Dandi March (12th March, 1930).
● Gandhi-Irwin Pact, 5th March, 1931.
● Sharda Act, 1929, under which
marriageable age of girls (14 years) and
boys (18 years) was raised.
● Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra
Bose founded Independence of India
Lord Wellington (1931-1936)
● Second and Third Round Table
● Communal Award by Mcdonald (British
PM). Government of India Act, 1935.
● Poona Pact was signed.
● During his period Orissa was separated
from Bihar (1936) and a new province
Sind was created (1936), Burma
separated from India as well in 1935.
● All India Kisan Sabha, 1936.
● Foundation of Congress Socialist Party,
Lord Linlithgow (1936-43)
● First General Election (1936-37)
● SC Bose president of 51st INC (1938).
● Forward Bloc founded in 1939.
● Deliverance day by Muslim League
● Lahore Resolution of Muslim League
(1940) demand of Pakistan.
● August Offer, 1940.
● ‘‘Divide & Quit’’ at the Karachi Session
(1940). Passing of Quit India
● In Haripura Session (1939) of Congress,
declared Complete Independence.
● Cripps Mission, 1942.
● Quit India Movement, 1942.
● In 1943, Muslim League celebrated
Lord Wavell (1943-47)
● CR Formula (Rajaji Formula), 1944.
● Wavell Plan and Shimla Conference,
● Cabinet Mission came to India in May,
1946. The Congress and the Muslim
league both rejected its proposals.
● Muslim League celebrated 16th
August, 1946 as ‘Direct Action Day’.
● INA trials and the Naval Mutiny, 1946.
(March to August, 1947)
● June third plan.
● Last British Viceroy of British India.
● First Governor-General of free India.
● Boundary commissions under Radcliffe.
● Introduction of Indian Independence
Bill in the House of Commons.
● Last Governor-General of India.
● The only Indian Governor-General to
remain in office from 21st June, 1948
to 25th January, 1950.