Governors-General of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), 1773–1833

Warren Hastings(1732-1818) :
• 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).
• 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) in 1780.
• Creation of collector post
•The first Governor General to be prosecuted for impeachment. (As a consequence of his involvement in
First Rohilla War)
•Experimentation on land settlements. (1772-five years settlement, changed to 1 year in 1776)
•He formed Amini Commission in 1776.
•Abolished Dastak system (which was introduced by Robert Clive)
•English Translation of Bhagwat Gita by Charles Wilkins
The Earl Cornwallis(1738–1805)
• Established lower courts and appellate courts
• Permanent Settlement in Bihar and Bengal in 1793
• 3rd Anglo-Mysore war (1790–92)
• Introduction of Cornwallis Code in 1793.
• Introduction of Civil Services in India
• Sanskrit Vidyalaya at Benares (now Varanasi) established by Johnathan
Duncan (then Governor of Bombay) in 1791.
• Introduced Sunset Law
John Shore (1751–1834):
• Policy of Non-intervention
• Charter Act of 1793
• Second Rohilla War 1794
• Battle of Kharda between Nizam and Marathas (1795)
The Marquess Wellesley (1760–1842):
• Introduction of Subsidiary Alliance (1798)
• Fourth Anglo Mysore War 1799
• The Subsidiary Treaty of Bassein in 1802 and Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–05)
• Fort William College at Calcutta (1800)
• Raj Bhavan at Calcutta was established in 1803
• Censorship Act, 1799
•The Marquess Cornwallis (1738–1805):

•Sir George Barlow, Bt (acting) (1762–1847):

• 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):
• Treaty of Amritsar, 1809 with Maharaja Ranjit Singh
• Charter Act of 1813
The Marquess of Hastings (1754–1826):
• Ended the policy of Non-intervention
• Third Anglo-Maratha War (1816–1818) and the abolition of Peshwaship
• Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16) ended with the signing of Treaty of Sugauli (1816)
• Creation of Bombay Presidency in 1818
• Establishment of Ryotwari System in Madras Presidency in 1820 by the governor Sir Thomas Munro.
• Establishment of Mahalwari System in Northern India by Holt Mackenzie (1822)
• Hindu College (now Presidency University) at Calcutta in 1817
• The Pindari War (1817–1818) (Complete Destruction of the Pindari Clan of India)
• Bengal Tenancy Act was passed in 1822.
• General Committee of Public Instruction was formed in 1823
John Adam(acting)(1779–1825):
• Licensing Regulations
• Calcutta Unitarian Committee established by Raja Ram Mohan Roy
The Earl Amherst (1773–1857):
• 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)
Lord William Bentinck (1774–1839):
• 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
• Barasat Uprising in 1831, led by Titumir
• English Education Act 1835 and introduction of English as a medium of instruction
• Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata (1835)
• Supression of Thuggee (1829–35)
The Earl of Auckland (1784–1849):
• 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):
• Gwalior War (1843) (British defeat Marathas)
• Bank of Madras (1843) established (later Imperial Bank of India, now State Bank of India)
• Conquest and annexation of Sind Province by British (1843)
• Indian Slavery Act, 1843
Henry Hardinge (1785–1856):
• 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 confiscated Kashmir from the Sikhs and sold it to Raja of Jammu for 75
lakh rupees)
• Treaty of Bhairowal (1846)
• Establishment of Roorkee Engineering College (1847)
The Earl of Dalhousie (1812–1860):
• 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 defeated the Sikh Empire and
annexed Punjab)
• 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
• Annexation of Oudh on the grounds of alleged internal misrule (1856)
• Banned Female Infanticide completely and Human Sacrifice in Central province, Odisha and
Maharashtra
The Viscount Canning (1812–1862):
• Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 (The law was drafted by The Earl of Dalhousie)
• Indian Rebellion of 1857
• University of Calcutta, University of Bombay, and University of Madras were set up in 1857
The Viscount Canning (1812–1862):
• Queen Victoria's Proclamation (on 1 November, 1858) and The Government of India Act, 1858
• System of Budget was introduced
• Formation of Imperial Civil Services
• Indigo Revolt in Bengal in 1859–60
• White mutiny by the European troops in 1859
• Enactment of Indian Penal Code in 1860
• Indian High Courts Act 1861
• Indian Councils Act, 1861
• Indian Civil Service Act, 1861
• Police Act, 1861
• Establishment of Archaeological Survey of India in 1861
• Introduced Portfolio System which gave foundation for Cabinet System
The Earl of Elgin (1811–1863):
• Establishment of Calcutta High Court (2 July), Bombay High Court (14 August) and Madras High Court (15
August) in 1862
• Wahabi movement suppressed
Sir John Lawrence, Bt (1811–1879):
• 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
• Famine Commission was constituted in 1867 under Henry Campbell due to Orissa famine of 1866
• Tenancy Act was passed in Punjab and Oudh in 1868
The Earl of Mayo (1822–1872):
• Assassinated by a Pathan Sher Ali Afridi in 1972[12]
• Started the Census in India in 1872
• Opening of Rajkumar college in Rajkot and Mayo College at Ajmer for political training of Indian Princes
• Keshub Chandra Sen establishes Indian Reform Association (1870)
• Started Financial decentralization in 1870
• Enacted IPC amendment-Sedition Act 1870 to tackle Wahabi Movement
• He established the Department of Agriculture & Commerce in 1872
• Established Statistical Survey of India in 1872
The Lord Northbrook (1826–1904)
• Jyotiba Phule launches The Satyashodhak Samaj in Maharashtra in 1873 against the caste system and
Untouchability.
• Dramatic Performances Act, 1876
• He suppressed Kuka rebellion in Punjab led by Ram Singh in 1872
• Trial of Gaekwad of Baroda in 1874
• Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1875)
• Prince of Wales Edward VII visited India in 1875
• He resigned in 1876, being asked by the British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli to make a treaty with
Emir of Afghanistan Sher Ali Khan
• The Lord Lytton (1831–1891):
• Royal Titles Act, 1876 by which Queen Victoria assumed the title of 'Empress of India'
• 1st Delhi Durbar (out of 3) in 1877
• Great Famine of 1876–1878 and a Famine Commission was constituted under Richard Strachey in 1878
• Vernacular Press Act, 1878
• Arms Act, 1878
• Decreased the maximum age of appearing in civil services from 21 to 19
• Second Anglo-Afghan War, (1878–80)
• Treaty of Gandamak signed in 1879
The Marquess of Ripon(1827–1909)
• First Factory Act (1881)
• Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
• Repeal of the Vernacular Press Act in 1882
• Ilbert Bill (1883)
• Establishement of Panjab University in 1882
• Government resolution on local self-government (1882)
• Appointment of Education Commission under Sir William Wilson Hunter in 1882
• First complete Census in India in 1881
• He passed Famine codes in 1883
• Increased the maximum age of appearing in civil services from 18 to 21
The Earl of Dufferin (1826–1902)
• Formation of Indian National Congress (1885)
• Bengal Tenancy Act (1885)
• Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885)
• In 1886, Burma was made a province of India, with Rangoon as its capital
The Marquess of Lansdowne (1845–1927)
• Age of Consent Act, 1891 was passed to prohibit the marriages of girl child under the age of 12
• Indian Council Act 1892
• Second Factory Act 1891
• Setting up of Durand Commission in 1893 (India-Afghanistan)
The Earl of Elgin (1849–1917)
• Indian famine of 1896–1897
• Spread of Bubonic plague in Bombay (1896)
• Establishment of Ramakrishna Mission by Swami Vivekananda at Belur Math in 1897
• Assassination of two British officials (Walter Charles Rand and Ayerst) by the Chapekar brothers in 1897
The Lord Curzon of Kedleston (1859–1925)
• Indian famine of 1899–1900
• Munda (Ulgulan) rebellion led by Birsa Munda in 1899–1900
• Department of Agriculture was constituted in 1901
• Agricultural Research Institute at Pusa in Bihar was established in 1905
• Partition of Bengal (1905)
• Appointment of Raleigh University Commission (1902) (Indian Universities Act, 1904 was passed as per the
recommendation of this commission)
• Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904
• Official Secrets Act 1904 to curb free press
• Second Delhi Durbar (out of 3) in 1903
• Appointment of Police Commission under Sir Andrew Frazer in 1902
• Creation of North-West Frontier Province in 1901
• 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
• Younghusband expedition to Tibet under Francis Younghusband in 1903–04
The Earl of Minto (1845–1914)
• Morley–Minto reforms 1909, or the Indian Councils Act 1909
• Split in Congress in 1907 (in Surat session)
• Satyendra Prasanna Sinha became first Indian member to be appointed in Viceroy's Executive Council
• Seditious meetings (prohibition) Act 1907 to curb the extremist movement
• Establishment of Muslim League by Aga Khan III and Khwaja Salimullah (Nawab of Dhaka) in 1906
• Foundation of Jugantar revolutionary group in Bengal (1906)
• Indian Press Act, 1910
• Jamsetji Tata established TISCO in 1907
The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst (1858–1944)
• Third Delhi Durbar (1911)
• Annulment of Partition of Bengal by King George V in 1911
• Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911)
• Partition of Bengal to form Bihar and Orissa province (1912)
• World War I (1914–18)
• Komagata Maru incident (1914)
• McMahon border line was created between India and China in 1914 . Ghadar Mutiny (1915)
• Mahatma Gandhi came back to India from South Africa in 1915
• Foundation of Hindu Mahasabha by Madan Mohan Malviya (1915)
• Foundation of Banaras Hindu University in 1916
The Lord Chelmsford (1868–1933)
• Formation of Indian Home Rule movement by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant (1916)
• First Women's University (SNDT Women's University) at Pune was founded by Dhondo Keshav Karve
(1916)
• Lucknow Pact (1916) (between Indian National Congress and Muslim League)
• Champaran Satyagraha (1917), the first satyagraha movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in British India
• August Declaration, 1917
• Saddler University Commission or Calcutta Commission (1917)
• Kheda Satyagraha of 1918
• Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms (1919)
• Government of India Act 1919
• Rowlatt Act (1919)
• Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919)
• Khilafat Movement (1919–20) (later merged with Non-cooperation movement in 1920)
• Non-cooperation movement (1920–22)
• Foundation of Aligarh Muslim University in 1920
• Imperial Bank of India (now State Bank of India established in 1921)
The Earl of Reading (1860–1935)
• Malabar rebellion (also known as Moplah Rebellion), first Ethnic Rebellion (1921)
• Rabindranath Tagore founded Visva-Bharati University in 1921
• Chauri Chaura incident (1922) and withdrawal of Non-cooperation movement by Mahatma Gandhi
• Formation of Swaraj Party in 1923
• Appointment of Lee Commission in 1923 on public services reforms[18]
• Railway budget was separated from general budget since 1924 (this tradition continued till 2016)
• Kakori train robbery in 1925
• Foundation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh by K. B. Hedgewar in 1925
• Foundation of the Communist Party of India in Kanpur in 1925
• Annulment of Press Act of 1910 and Rowlatt Act of 1919
The Lord Irwin (1881–1959)
• Simon Commission (1928)
• Nehru Report (1928)
• Death of Lala Lajpat Rai (1928)
• Fourteen Points of Jinnah (1929)
• Purna Swaraj declaration (1929)
• Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929)
• Bombing in Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929 by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt
• "Deepavali Declaration" on 31 October 1929 (to grant India dominion status in due course)
• Appointment of "Hartog Committee" (1929) to survey the growth of education in British India
• Launching of Civil disobedience movement with Salt March (1930)
• Dharasana Satyagraha (1930)
• First Round Table Conferences (1930)
• Allahabad Address by Sir Muhammad Iqbal (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)
• Second Round Table Conference (1931)
• Announcement of Communal Award by Ramsay MacDonald (1932)
• Poona Pact between Mahatma Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar in 1932
• Third Round Table Conference (1932)
• Pakistan Declaration (1933)
• Foundation of Congress Socialist Party in 1934
• Government of India Act 1935
• Formation of All India Kisan Sabha in 1936
• Reserve Bank of India established by passing The Reserve Bank of India Act 1934.
The Marquess of Linlithgow(1887–1952)
• Indian provincial elections (1937)
• Indian entry into World War II (1939)
• Day of Deliverance (1939)
• Formation of All India Forward Bloc (1939)
• Lahore Resolution (1940)
• August Offer (1940)
• Cripps Mission (1942)
• Formation of Indian Legion (1942)
• Quit India Movement (1942)
• Formation of Indian National Army (1942) . Bengal famine (1943)
The Viscount Wavell (1883–1950)
• C. R. formula (1944)
• Simla Conference (1945)
• Cabinet Mission (1946)
• Direct Action Day (16 August 1946)
• Interim Government was formed in 1946
• Royal Indian Navy mutiny (1946)
The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma (1900–1979)
• Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed on 18 July 1947.
• Radclife Commission was appointed under the chairmanship of Cyril Radcliffe to demarcate the border
line of Bengal Presidency and Punjab Province
The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma(1900–1979)
• First Governor-General of Independent India
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1878–1972)
• Last Governor-General of India, before the office was permanently abolished in 1950