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 the decision of the 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. Lord William Bentinck was first to be designated as the Governor-general of India in 1833.

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 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 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 vested in the appointments of Governor-General of India which 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 of India and Pakistan, until they adopted republican constitutions in 1950 and 1956 respectively.

List of governors-general[]

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Notable events
Before 1773 The Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal) was named as Governor of Bengal, which was in existence from 1757 to 1772. For the list of Governors of Bengal see List of governors of Bengal.
Appointed by Court of Directors of the East India Company
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 (Which was introduced by Robert Clive).^[1] Moved Treasury from Murshidabad to Calcutta James Augustus 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 Founded Calcutta Madrasa (Aliah University) Creation of collector post The first Governor General to be prosecuted for impeachment. (As a consequence of his involvement in First Rohilla War)^[2] Experimentation on land settlements. (1772-five years settlement, changed to 1 year in 1776) English Translation of Bhagwat Gita by Charles Wilkins^[3]
	Sir John Macpherson, Bt (acting) (1745–1821)	8 February 1785	12 September 1786
	The Earl 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
	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)
	Lt. Gen Sir Alured Clarke (acting) (1744–1832)	18 March 1798	18 May 1798
	The Marquess Wellesley^{[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)^[4] Fort William College at Calcutta (1800) Raj Bhavan at Calcutta was established in 1803 Censorship Act, 1799
	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	Treaty of Amritsar, 1809 with Maharaja Ranjit Singh Charter Act of 1813
	The 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 Earl 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)
	Sir 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 Earl of Auckland^{[nb 6]} (1784–1849)	4 March 1836	28 February 1842	Tripartite Treaty in 1838 between British, Shah Shuja 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) Indian Slavery Act, 1843
	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) Treaty of Bhairowal(1846) Establishment of Roorkee Engineering College (1847)^[5]
	The Earl of Dalhousie^{[nb 8]} (1812–1860)	12 January 1848	28 February 1856	Doctrine of Lapse in 1848 Charter Act, 1853 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) Religious Disabilities Act, 1856 Banned Female Infanticide completely and Human Sacrifice in Central province, Odisha and Maharashtra
	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

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Notable events	Secretary of State for India	Prime Minister
Governors-General and Viceroys of India, 1858–1947
Appointed by Victoria (1837–1901)
	The Viscount Canning^{[nb 9]} (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 Indian Councils Act 1861 Indian civil service act 1861 Establishment of Archaeological Survey of India Introduced Portfolio System which gave foundation for Cabinet System	Lord Stanley Sir Charles Wood	The 14th Earl of Derby Viscount Palmerston
	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 Wahabi movement suppressed	Sir Charles Wood	Viscount Palmerston
	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 Punjab tenancy act was passed	Sir Charles Wood The Earl de Grey Viscount Cranborne Sir Stafford Northcote The Duke of Argyll	Viscount Palmerston The Earl Russell The 14th Earl of Derby Benjamin Disraeli William Ewart Gladstone
	The Earl of Mayo (1822–1872)	12 January 1869	8 February 1872	Assassinated by a Pathan Sher Ali Afridi Started the . 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 He established the department of commerce and agriculture Keshub Chandra Sen establishes Indian Reform Association	The Duke of Argyll	William Ewart Gladstone
	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 Kuka rebellion led by ram Singh in Punjab he was resigned over Afghanistan question trial of gaekwads of baroda	The Duke of Argyll The Marquess of Salisbury	William Ewart Gladstone Benjamin Disraeli
	The Lord Lytton (1831–1891)	12 April 1876	8 June 1880	Great Famine of 1876–1878 decreased the maximum age of ICS from 21 to 19 famine commission under starchy was appointed by him Deccan agrarian relief act was passed in 1876 Vernacular Press Act, 1878 Second Anglo-Afghan War, (1878–80) 1st Delhi Durbar out of 3 Royal Titles Act, 1876 by which Queen Victoria assumed the title of 'Empress of India'	The Marquess of Salisbury The Viscount Cranbrook Marquess of Hartington	Benjamin Disraeli William Ewart Gladstone
	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) foundation of Punjab university Government resolution on local self-government (1882) Appointment of Education Commission under Sir William Hunter First complete Census Father of local self-government in India (Ripon's Resolution of 1882)	Marquess of Hartington The Earl of Kimberley	William Ewart Gladstone
	The Earl of Dufferin (1826–1902)	13 December 1884	10 December 1888	Formation of Indian National Congress (1885) Bengal tenancy act 1885 INC was called a "microscopic minority" by Dufferin Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885)	The Earl of Kimberley Lord Randolph Churchill The Earl of Kimberley The Viscount Cross	William Ewart Gladstone The Marquess of Salisbury William Ewart Gladstone The Marquess of Salisbury
	The Marquess of Lansdowne (1845–1927)	10 December 1888	11 October 1894	Indian Council Act 1892 in 1891, age of consent act in which the marriage of below 12 years girl is prohibited Factory Act 1891 Setting up of Durand Commission in 1893 (India-Afghanistan)	The Viscount Cross The Earl of Kimberley Henry Fowler	The Marquess of Salisbury William Ewart Gladstone The Earl of Rosebery
	The Earl of Elgin (1849–1917)	11 October 1894	6 January 1899	Indian famine of 1896–1897 Establishment of Ramakrishna Mission by Swami Vivekananda at Belur Math in 1897 santhal uprisings 1899 munda uprisings 1899 lyall commission appointed after famine plague spread in bombay Assassination of two British officials by the Chapekar brothers 1897	Henry Fowler Lord George Hamilton	The Earl of Rosebery The Marquess of Salisbury
	The Lord Curzon of Kedleston^{[nb 10]} (1859–1925)	6 January 1899	18 November 1905	Indian famine of 1899–1900 Partition of Bengal (1905) Official Secrets Act 1904 to curb free press 2nd Delhi Durbar out of 3 (1903) Appointment of Police Commission under Sir Andrew Frazer Appointment of Raleigh University Commission (1902) famine commission under Macdonell new department commerce and industry was established The risings of the frontier tribes in 1897-98 led him to create the Northwestern frontier province PUSA agriculture institute in 1903 Passing of Indian Universities Act 1904 2nd Swadeshi Movement (1905–1911) against Partition of Bengal by Lal Bal Pal-Aurbindo Ghosh) Benaras Hindu Girls School (Kanya Vidyalaya) 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." ^[6]	Lord George Hamilton William St John Brodrick	The Marquess of Salisbury Arthur Balfour
Appointed by Edward VII (1901–1910)
	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 the extremist movement Establishment of Muslim League by Aga Khan III (1906) Indian Press Act, 1910 Jamsetji Tata established TISCO in 1907	William St John Brodrick John Morley The Earl of Crewe	Arthur Balfour Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman H. H. Asquith
Appointed by George V (1910–1936)
	The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst (1858–1944)	23 November 1910	4 April 1916	Third Delhi Durbar (1911) Gandhiji came back to India from South Africa in 1915 bomb was thrown at him near Chandni chowk but escaped unhurt 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)	The Earl of Crewe The Viscount Morley of Blackburn The Marquess of Crewe Austen Chamberlain	H. H. Asquith
	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) saddler commission on education reforms Government of India Act 1919 Rowlatt Act (1919) Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919) Imperial Bank of India (now State Bank of India established in 1921)	Austen Chamberlain Edwin Montagu	H. H. Asquith David Lloyd George
	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 Lee commission for public services RSS founded in 1925 Royal commission on agriculture Chauri Chaura incident (1922)	Edwin Montagu The Viscount Peel The Lord Olivier The Earl of Birkenhead	David Lloyd George Bonar Law Stanley Baldwin Ramsay MacDonald Stanley Baldwin
	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 Birkenhead The Viscount Peel William Wedgwood Benn	Stanley Baldwin Ramsay MacDonald
	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	William Wedgwood Benn Sir Samuel Hoare The Marquess of Zetland	Ramsay MacDonald Stanley Baldwin
Appointed by Edward VIII (1936)
	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)	The Marquess of Zetland Leo Amery	Stanley Baldwin Neville Chamberlain Winston Churchill
Appointed by George VI (1936-1947) (As Emperor of India)
	The Viscount Wavell (1883–1950)	1 October 1943	21 February 1947	C. R. formula (1944) Simla Conference (1945) Cabinet Mission (1946) Direct Action Day (1946) Interim Government was formed in 1946 Royal Indian Navy mutiny (1946)	Leo Amery The Lord Pethick-Lawrence	Winston Churchill Clement Attlee
	The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma (1900–1979)	21 February 1947	15 August 1947	Indian Independence Act 1947	The Lord Pethick-Lawrence The Earl of Listowel	Clement Attlee

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Notable events	Prime Minister
Governors-General of the Dominion of India, 1947–1950
Appointed by George VI (1947-1950) (As King of India)
	The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma^{[nb 11]} (1900–1979)	15 August 1947	21 June 1948	First Governor-General of Independent India	Jawaharlal Nehru
	Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1878–1972)	21 June 1948	26 January 1950	Last Governor-General of India, before the office was permanently abolished in 1950	Jawaharlal Nehru

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.
^ ^a ^b Created Earl Canning in 1859.
^ The Lord Ampthill was acting Governor-General in 1904
^ Created Earl Mountbatten of Burma on 28 October 1947.

Citations[]

^ "Administrative Reforms of Robert clive". britannica.com. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Rohilla". Encyclopædia Britannica. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 461.
^ Clarke, John James (1 January 1997). Oriental Enlightenment: The Encounter Between Asian and Western Thought. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415133753.
^ Reddy, Vinodh (28 October 2015). "Governors-General of India (1772–1857)". EduGeneral. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
^ Information Management Group, IIT Roorkee. "Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Index". www.iitr.ac.in.
^ Day B., Richard & Gaido Daniel (2009). Witnesses to Permanent Revolution: The Documentary Record. London: LEIDEN • BOSTON. p. 406. ISBN 978 90 04 167704.

[1] Originally joined on 28 April 1772

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

[6] Created Marquess Wellesley in 1799.

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

[9] Created Earl Amherst in 1826.

[10] Created Earl of Auckland in 1839.

[11] Created Viscount Hardinge in 1846.

[13] Created Marquess of Dalhousie in 1849.

[auto-14] Created Earl Canning in 1859.

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

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

[2] "Administrative Reforms of Robert clive". britannica.com. Retrieved 16 August 2020.

[EB1911-3] One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Rohilla". Encyclopædia Britannica. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 461.

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

[7] Reddy, Vinodh (28 October 2015). "Governors-General of India (1772–1857)". EduGeneral. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

[IIT_Roorkee-12] Information Management Group, IIT Roorkee. "Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Index". www.iitr.ac.in.

[16] 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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List of governors-general of India

List of governors-general[]

See also[]

Citations[]