List of Governor-General/Viceroys of Bengal & India

Here is a list of all Governor, Governor-General/Viceroys of Bengal and India. Remember these persons as General Knowledge in Indian History for upcoming competitive examinations and govt. jobs exams like UPSC, IAS, CGL, MTS Railways, etc. Small details about their works are given below.

How the Governor Generals and Viceroys were involved in India?

You probably try to know their involvement in the field of Indian administration policies, social activities, and cultural activities. So dear aspirants, let’s find out in the bellow.

Governors of India (1757 – 1774)

Governor Generals of Bengal (1774 – 1834)

• Warren Hastings (1774 – 1785): Founded the “Asiatic Society of Bengal” with William Jones in 1784. Deprived Zamindars of their Judicial powers and civil and criminal courts were established. He appointed collectors and other revenue officials to collect land revenue. He engaged with the treaty of Salbai in 1782. War: He involved in the second Anglo-Mysore war.
• Lord Cornwallis (1786 – 1793): He is the first person to codify laws. The code separated the revenue administration from the administration of Justice. He also introduced permanent settlement in Bengal. War: Lord Cornwallis involved in the Third Anglo-Mysore war (defeated Tipu Sultan), He introduced ‘Civil Service‘ in India.

Read More: British Conquest of Bengal Mysore Punjab

• Sir John Shore (1793 – 1798): He introduced the first Charter Act in 1793.
• Lord Wellesley (1798 – 1905): He started the Subsidiary Alliance Policy. He is also known as ‘Lord Mornington‘. During his tenure, the Madras Presidency was formed. War: fourth Anglo-Mysore war (Tipu Sultan Died), Second Anglo-Maratha war; Treaty: Treaty of Basin in 1800.
• George Barlow (1805 – 1907): Vellore Mutiny (1806)
• Lord Mint I (1807 – 1813): Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Sing: Passed Charter Act 1813.
• Lord Hastings (1813 – 1823): Adopted the policy of Intervention and war. War: Anglo-Nepal war and Third Anglo-Maratha war.
• Lord Amherst (1823 – 1828)
• Lord William Bentinck (1828 – 1833): He is the most liberal and enlightened Governor-General of India: He abolished Sati rites in 1829 and eliminates Thugs in 1830. He passed the Charter Act of 1833.
  

Governor Generals of India (1833 – 1858)

• Lord William Bentinck (1833 – 1835): He is the first governor-general of India and regarded as the ‘Father of Modern Western Education in India
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• Sir Charles Metcalfe (1835 – 1836): Abolished all restriction on vernacular press called Liberator of the press.
• Lord Auckland (1836 – 1842): First Afghan war, which proved to be a disaster for the English.
• Lord Ellenborough (1842 – 1844): He brought to the end of the Afghan war and abolished Slavery.
• Lord Hardings I (1844 – 1848): Involved first Anglo-Sikh war.

Read More: Preamble of Indian Constitution – Study Notes

• Lord Dalhousie (1848 – 1856): He is famous for his Widow Remarriage Act which passed in 1856. He opened the first Indian Railway in 1853 from Bombay to Thane. Introduced a Centralized Control Policy. He started an electric telegraph serviced from Calcutta to Agra. He started the work on Grand Tank road. He made Simla the summer capital. It also passed ‘wood’s Dispatch’.
• Lord Canning (1856-1858): He is the last governor-general of India. He withdrew the doctrine of lapse. He involved in the Revolt of 1857.
  

Viceroys of India (1858 – 1947)

• Lord Canning (1858 – 1862): He is the last Governor-General and first Viceroy of India. He passed the ‘Indian Council Act of 1861. This Act proved to be a landmark in the Constitutional history of India. He established High Courts in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras in 1862. He also established three Universities: The University of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras.
• Lord Elgin I (1862 – 1863): Involved in Wahabi Movement and tried to suppress this movement.
• Sir John Lawrence (1864 – 1869): He opened telegraphic communication between India and Europe; He also expanded railways canal works in India. “Indian Forest Department” was also created during his tenure.
• Lord Mayo (1864 – 1872): He started the process of financial decentralization in India. Established Mayo College at Ajmer. The first census in India was held in 1872 during his tenure. He was killed in office by a convict in Andaman in 1872.
• Lord Northbrook (1872 – 1876): Involved in the Kuka Movement of Punjab.
• Lord Lytton (1876 – 1880): He was the most infamous viceroy in India. He arranged the ‘Grand Darbar‘ in Delhi in 1877 and Queen Victoria was declared as ‘Kaisar-i-Hind‘. He passed the ‘Royal Title Act‘ in 1876, Arms Act, 1878 and Vernacular Press Act 1878.
• Lord Ripon (1880 – 1884): He is the first viceroy in India who repealed the Vernacular Press Act (1882) and sympathized with the Indian people. He passed the local Self-Government Act, Land Revenue Policy resolution in 1882.
• Lord Dufferin (1884 – 1888): He involved the third Burmese War in 1885. Indian National Congress was established during his tenure.
• Lord Lansdowne (1888 – 1894): He passed the Factory Act in 1891, Indian Council Act of 1892. The appointment of the Durand Commission was held during his tenure to define the boundary between British India and Afghanistan.
• Lord Elgin II (1884 – 1899)
• Lord Curzon (1899 – 1905): Indian University Act of 1904 and partition of Bengal into two provinces (Bengal and East Bengal) took place in 1905 during his tenure. Appointed Police Commission. he passed the ‘Ancient Monuments Protection Act’ in 1904.

Read More: Schedules of Indian Constitution

• Lord Minto II (1905 – 1910): Morley-Minto Reforms was passed during his tenure.
• Lord Harding (1910 – 1916): Annulment of Partition of Bengal in 1911. He transferred the capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911. 3rd Delhi Durbar was held. Mahatma Gandhi came back to India from South Africa during his tenure.
• Lord Chelmsford (1916 – 1921): Montague-Chelmsford reforms were passed. Most injustice incident Jallianwala Bagh massacre was held. Rowlatt Act passed in 1919.
• Lord Reading (1921 – 1926): Rowlatt Act was repealed along with cotton excise, Criminal law Amendment Act etc. Swaraj Party was formed in India. Vishwa Bharati University opened.
• Lord Irwin (1926 – 1931): Simon Commission imposed on Indians and Gandhi-Irwin pact was signed.
• Lord Willingdon (1931 – 1936):  Second and Third Round Table Conference. Communal Award announced. Government of India Act of 1935 passed and Poona Pact was signed during his tenure.
• Lord Linlithgow (1936 – 1943): Cripps Mission; Quit India Movement;

Read More: 22 Parts of The Constitution of India – List

• Lord Wavell (1943 – 1947):  Cabinet Mission Plan; Election to the Constituent Assembly; Simla Conference;
• Lord Mountbatten (March to August 1947): He declared the Partition of India into two countries, India and Pakistan on 3rd Jun 1947. Indian Independence Act passed in the British Parliament and India got independence on 15th August 1947.
• Lord Mountbatten was the last viceroy of British India and the first Governor-General of free India.

C. Rajagopalachari was the last and only Governor-General of free India.

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