List of Governors of Bengal

From 1690, a governor represented the British East India Company in Bengal, which had been granted the right to establish a trading post by the local rulers, the nawabs of Murshidabad, who were nominal vassals of the Mughal emperor in Delhi.

Chief Agents (1681-1684)

• September 3, 1681 - July 17, 1684: William Hedges (1632-1701)
• July 17, 1684 - 1685: John Beard

Presidents (1684-1694)

• August 8, 1684 - January 26, 1685: William Gyfford
• January 26, 1685 - January 10, 1693: Job Charnock
• January 10, 1693 - August 12, 1693: Francis Ellis (acting)
• August 1693 - January 1694: Charles Eyre

Chief Agents (1694-1700)

• Jan 1694 - 1698: Charles Eyre
• 1698 - Dec 1699: John Beard
• Dec 1699 - 26 May 1700: Charles Eyre

Presidents

• 1700–1701: Charles Eyre
• 1701–1705: John Bead
• 1705: Edward Littleton
• 1705–1710: Ruled by a council
• 1710–1711: Anthony Weltden
• 1711–1713: John Russell
• 1713–1718: Robert Hedges
• 1718–1723: Samuel Flake
• 1723–1726: John Deane
• 1726–1728: Henry Frankland
• 1728: Edward Stephenson
• 1728–1732: John Deane
• 1732–1739: John Stackhouse
• 1739–1746: Thomas Broddyll
• 1746–1748: John Forster
• 1748–1749: William Barwell
• 1749–1752: Adam Dawson
• 1752: William Fytche
• 1752–1756: Roger Drake

Under the leadership of Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, British troops and their local allies defeated the nawab on 23 June 1757 at the Battle of Plassey. The nawab was assassinated in Murshidabad, and the British installed their own replacement. Clive became governor.

Governors, 1757-1854

• 1757–1760: Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive
• 1760–1764: Henry Vansittart
• 1765–1766: Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive
• 1767–1769: Harry Verelst
• 1769–1772: John Cartier [1]
• 1772–1774: Warren Hastings
• 1774–1786:
• 1786–1793: Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Earl Cornwallis
• 1797–1805: Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
• 1805: Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
• 1848–1854: James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie

Under the Charter Act 1853 the Governor General of India was relieved of his concurrent duties as Governor of Bengal and empowered to appoint a lieutenant-governor from 1854.

Lieutenant-Governors 1854-1912

• 1854–1859: Frederick James Halliday
• 1859–1862: John Grant
• 1862–1866: Sir Cecil Beadon
• 1866–1871: Sir William Grey
• 1871–1874: George Campbell
• 1874–1877: Sir Richard Temple
• 1877–1879: Sir Ashley Eden
• 1879–1882: Steuart Bayley
• 1882–1885: Sir Augustus Thompson
• 1885–1887: Horace Cockerell
• 1887–1890: Sir Steuart Bayley
• 1890–1893: Sir Charles Elliot
• 1893–1895: Anthony MacDonnell
• 1895–1897: Alexander Mackenzie
• 1897–1898: Sir Charles Stevens
• 1898–1902: Sir John Woodburn
• 1902–1903: James Bourdillon
• 1903–1906: Sir Andrew Fraser
• 1906: Lancelot Hare
• 1906–1908: Francis Slacke
• 1908–1911: Sir Edward Baker
• 1911–1912: Sir William Duke

In 1912, the British reunited east and west Bengal to form a single province under a governor.

Governors 1912-1947

• 1912–1917: Thomas Gibson-Carmichael, 1st Baron Carmichael
• 1917–1922: Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland as Earl of Ronaldshay
• 1922–1927: Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton
• 1927–1932: Sir Stanley Jackson
• 1932–1937: Sir John Anderson
• 1937–1939: Michael Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne
• 1939–1943: John Arthur Herbert
• 1944–1946: Richard Casey
• 1946–1947: Sir Frederick Burrows

Chief ministers

• 1937 - Feb 1943: A.K. Fazlul Huq
• Jul 1943 - Aug 1945: Khwaja Sir Nazimuddin
• Aug 1945 - Mar 1946: Governor's Rule
• Mar 1946 - 3 Jul 1947 : H S Suhrawardy

Chief minister of East Bengal

• 3 Jul 1947 - 14 Aug 1947: Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy

Chief minister of West Bengal

• 3 Jul 1947 - 14 Aug 1947: Prafulla Chandra Ghosh

References

• http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/C_0052.htm

External links

Administrators of provinces in British India Governors Agra (1834–1836) · Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1945–1947)1 · Assam (1921–1947)1 · Bengal (1700–1774, 1912–1947) · Bihar (1936–1947)1 · Bihar and Orissa (1920–1936) · Bombay (1694–1947) · Central Provinces and Berar (1920–1947) · Madras (1698–1947) · North-West Frontier (1932–1948) · Orissa (1936–1947)1 · Punjab (1921–1947)1 · Sindh (1936–1947) · United Provinces of British India (1921–1937) · United Provinces (1937–1947) Lt. Governors Bengal, Bihar and Orissa (1854–1912) · Bihar and Orissa (1912–1920) · East Bengal and Assam (1905–1912) · North-Western Provinces (1836–1877) · North-Western Provinces (1877–1902) · Punjab (1859–1921) · United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (1902–1921) Chief Commissioners Ajmer-Merwara (1871–1947) · Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1872–1945) · Assam (1874–1905, 1912–1921) · Balochistan (1877–1947) · Central Provinces (1861–1920) · Coorg (1869–1947) · Delhi (1912–1947) · North-West Frontier (1901–1932) · Oudh (1856–1877) · Oudh(1877 – 1902) · Panth-Piploda (1942–1947) · Punjab (1853–1859) Commissioners Assam (1828–1874) · Sindh (1843–1936) Superintendents Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1858–1872) 1 Office retained following Indian independence