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Governor General
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Notable work and important developments during their tenure
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Lord Warren Hastings (1773 - 1785)
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- He served the position of the inaugural Governor of the Fort William Presidency (Bengal).
- He was the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal and effectively the first Governor-General of Bengal from 1772 to 1785.
- He and Robert Clive were recognised for establishing the foundations of the British Empire in India.
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Lord Cornwallis (1786 - 1793)
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- He was previously involved in the American Revolutionary War, where he surrendered to the Americans at Yorktown.
- In 1786, he agreed to become the Governor-General of Bengal on the condition that he would also hold supreme military command.
- He developed the Cornwallis Code, which contained provisions related to civil, policing, and judicial administration in British India.
- Under his supervision, the Cornwallis Code was developed, which outlined provisions for civil, policing, and judicial administration in British India.
- Lord Cornwallis is recognised for establishing the groundwork for British rule in India; some of the key reforms included:
- He implemented a policy of appointing individuals based on merit, which set the foundation for the Indian Civil Service.
- He introduced the separation of the three branches of service: commercial, judicial, and revenue.
- The judicial powers of collectors were removed, and their role was limited to revenue collection.
- Cornwallis is widely recognised in Bengal history for his association with the Permanent Settlement.
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Sir John Shore (1793 - 1798)
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- Unlike Lord Cornwallis, Shore held differing views regarding the permanent settlement.
- He believed it was necessary to gather adequate information on land resources and the capabilities of the ryots(peasant cultivators) before reaching a permanent settlement.
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Lord Arthur Wellesley (1798-1805)
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- During his tenure, the fourth and final Anglo-Mysore war took place, resulting in the death of Tipu.
- Also, the Second Anglo-Maratha War occurred, leading to the defeat of Bhonsle, Scindia, and Holkar.
- Wellesley implemented the "subsidiary alliance" policy, which was accepted by various rulers.
- His time as Governor-General also saw the passing of the Censorship of the Press Act in 1799 and the establishment of Fort William College in 1800, aimed at training civil servants.
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Lord George Barlow (1805 - 1807)
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- He assumed the role of the acting Governor General of Fort William in Bengal.
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Lord Minto-I (1807 - 1813)
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- His successful negotiation and signing of the Treaty of Amritsar in 1809 with Punjab ruler Ranjit Singh marked a notable achievement.
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Francis Rawdon Hastings (1813 - 1823)
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- During his tenure, the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814 – 1816), also known as the Gorkha War, was fought. The war ended with the signing of the Sugauli Treaty in 1816, which ceded some of the Nepalese-controlled territories to the EIC.
- He oversaw the third Anglo-Maratha War(1817-1818), which resulted in the end of the Peshwa system, and Marathas were forced to accept the subsidiary alliance system.
- Lord Hastings introduced the “Policy of Paramountcy”, which affirmed the authority of the Governor General to intervene in the internal matters of the Indian princely states and, if required, to override their power.
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Lord Amherst (1823 - 1828)
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- He played a significant role in the First Anglo-Burmese War, which concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Yandaboo.
- During his tenure, the Barrackpore Mutiny of 1824 occurred, which arose due to British interference with Indian social taboos.
- In 1824, under his leadership, the Sanskrit College was established in Calcutta, aimed at promoting Sanskrit education and scholarship.
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