Complete List of Governor General of India

The Britishers had divided India into three provinces for efficient control and governance of the country. These three presidencies Bengal, Madras and Bombay became centres of British administration and economy. They were overseen by various governors at that point in time. Apart from the provincial governors, there were also governor generals who oversaw the entire administration. The first British governor-general to India was Warren Hastings from 1772–1785. In this blog, we shall be exploring the complete list of Governor Generals of India. 

List of Governor General of Bengal

The Nawabs of Bengal were the first to be overthrown by the British to establish puppet rulers. Under the flag of nawabs, the British exercised the actual authority in Bengal through their Governor General. Here is a list of all the first Governor Generals sent to India for the administration of Bengal.

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More About Governor Generals of Bengal

We will now look at some more details about the Governor Generals of Bengal. Read on if you want to find out more on this topic!

Warren Hastings

Warren Hastings served as the chairman of the Bengal Supreme Council. He supported and encouraged the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 

Moreover, he offered the Treaty of Salbai to end the first Anglo-Maratha war recognising Madhavrao as Peshwa. Warren Hastings was earlier appointed the Governor of Bengal but under the Pitt’s India Act was promoted to the post of Governor General of India with a council of four members at his disposal. 

Lord Cornwallis

Knighted in 1786 Lord Cornwallis was given the title of Governor General of India and Commander-in-Chief of India in the same year. He established the Cornwallis Code enacting the Permanent Settlement of Bengal. He also introduced a few taxation reforms during his time.

He was also responsible for signing the Treaty of Seringapatam after the Third War in the series of Anglo-Mysore Wars. The concept of Appellate court lower grade courts was brought in by him. 

Sir John Shore 

Sir John Shore succeeded Lord Cornwallis and he was known to follow the policy of non-intervention. The Charter Act of 1793 was introduced by Sir John Shore. However, the Nizam of Hyderabad was defeated by the Marathas during his reign as the Governor General of India. The Nizam was under the protection of the British government while the Battle of Khurda took place but he terribly lost. This was a blow to the British crown.

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Lord Wellesley 

Lord Wellesley introduced the subsidiary alliance system. The Treaty of Bassein was signed under his government after the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. This was also the time for the second Anglo-Maratha war. He is known to have established the Madras Presidency and the Fort William College at Calcutta. 

Sir George Barlow

Sir George Barlow was the interim Governor General of India till Lord Minto I arrived. Due to his inclination towards a better economy, he reduced the British territory to avoid losing on the economic side. The 1806 Mutiny of Vellore took place under his Lordship. 

Lord Minto I

Lord Minto was a Public Affairs specialist and a well-trained politician. In 1809 he ended the treaty of Amritsar with Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He also introduced the Charter Act of 1813. 

Lord Hastings

Hastings ended the policy of non-intervention and was also involved in the third Anglo-Maratha war. He abolished peshwaship after defeating the Marathas. The Treaty of Sagauli was also signed under his Lordship with Nepal in 1816. The treaty defined Nepal’s boundaries from India. He was the one to establish the Bombay presidency and introduced the Ryotwari and Mahalwar systems in Central India. 

Lord Amherst 

Lord Amherst took over as the Governor General of India after Lord Hastings. He acquired Assam which led to the first Burmese War of 1824. During the war, there was the mutiny of Barrackpore in 1824. This mutiny eventually paved the way for the Indian Mutiny and the Revolt of 1857. 

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The List of Governor General of India

From beginning to the end here is a complete list of Governor General of India at the time of the British Raj. 

Name of Governor General	Years of Governance	Achievements
Lord William Bentinck	1828-1835	Did many social and educational reforms in India like for Sati pratha, female infanticide and Thuggee
Lord Charles Metcalfe	1835-1836	Lifted the restrictions on the vernacular press
Lord Auckland	1836-1842	Expanded the commercial industry of India
Lord Ellenborough	1842-1844	No significant changes in India took place
Lord Hardinge I	1844-1848	During this period, the Britishers were engaged in the Anglo-Sikh wars
Lord Dalhousie	1848-1856	He brought the Doctrine of Lapse to India. Carried out Reforms like the Charles Wood Dispatch, Widow Remarriage Act and Post Office Act, of 1854
Lord Canning	1856-1857	He established three colleges at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1857

Lord William Bentinck

Lord William Bentinck, was the first Governor-General of India. is known to have many social and educational reforms in India. He was a liberal general who abolished evils from Indian society like the Sati pratha, female infanticide and Thuggee. His efforts were to abolish lawlessness in India. He also stopped the ritual of Human Sacrifices in Indian society. He became a driving force for considering English as the medium of teaching in India. 

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Lord Charles Metcalfe

Lord Charles Metcalfe only governed India for one year in which he followed the policies introduced by Lord Bentick. He lifted the restrictions on the vernacular press and also abolished licensing requirements. 

Lord Auckland

Lord Auckland largely worked on native schools in India. He also expanded the commercial industry of India. However, during the Anglo-Afghan war, Lord Auckland’s policies proved to be devastating for the Britishers in Afghanistan. Therefore he was called back from his post in 1842.  

Lord Ellenborough

Lord Ellenborough had a short duration reign of 2 years under which no significant changes in India took place except for the annexation of Sindh. 

Lord Hardinge I

During the lordship of Lord Hardinge, the Britishers were engaged in the Anglo-Sikh wars. 

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Lord Dalhousie 

Dalhousie brought the Doctrine of Lapse to India. He oversaw the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1849) where the Sikhs were brutally defeated. He is known to have conquered whole Punjab, Satara (1848), Jaipur and Sambalpur (1849), Udaipur (1852), Jhansi (1853), and Nagpur (1854). 

In 1853, the first railway line from Mumbai to Thane was inaugurated under his lordship. Reforms like the Charles Wood Dispatch, Widow Remarriage Act and Post Office Act, of 1854 were undertaken during his reign. He promoted the abolition of titles and pensions and also Started Competitive examinations for the Indian Civil Services. 

Lord Canning

Canning established three colleges at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1857. It was also under his reign that the Revolt of 1857 took place. After the revolt the Government of India Act was enacted and Lord Canning became the Viceroy of British India. 

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