List of governors of Assam

This is a list of Governors of Assam, and other offices of similar scope, from the start of British occupation of the area in 1824 during the First Anglo-Burmese War.

Today, the Governor of Assam is a nominal head and representative of the President of India in the state of Assam. The Governor is appointed by the President for a term of 5 years.

Powers and functions

The Governor has:

• Executive powers related to administration, appointments and removals,
• Legislative powers related to lawmaking and the state legislature, that is Vidhan Sabha or Vidhan Parishad, and
• Discretionary powers to be carried out according to the discretion of the Governor.

British Military Commanders in occupied Assam (1824–26)

In 1824, British forces occupied Assam, which was politically never part of either India or Burma

• George McMorine, 1824
• Arthur Richards, 1824–26

British Political Agents in Assam (1826–28)

On 24 February 1826, the Treaty of Yandaboo ceded portions of Assam from Burma to Britain.

• David Scott, 1826–28

Commissioners of Assam (1828–74)

In 1828, Western Assam was incorporated into the province of Bengal, followed by the rest of Assam in 1833. A Commissioner of Assam was appointed, subordinate to the Governor of Bengal.

• David Scott, 1828–20 August 1831, continued
• Thomas Campbell Robertson, 1831–34
• Francis Jenkins, 1834–61
• Henry Hopkinson, 1861–74

Chief Commissioners of Assam (1874–1905)

In 1874, Assam was separated from the Bengal Presidency, and its status was upgraded to a Chief Commissioner's Province.

• Richard Harte Keatinge, 1874–78
• Steuart Colvin Bayley, 1878–81
• Sir Charles Alfred Elliott, 1881–85
• William Erskine Ward, 1885–87, first time
• Sir Dennis Fitzpatrick, 1887–89
• James Westland, 1889
• James Wallace Quinton, 1889–91
• William Erskine Ward, 1891–96, second time
• Sir Henry John Stedman Cotton, 1896–1902
• Sir Joseph Bampfylde Fuller, 1902–05

Lieutenant Governors of East Bengal and Assam (1905–12)

In 1905, Bengal was partitioned and East Bengal and Assam was formed, governed by a Lieutenant Governor.

• Sir Joseph Bampfylde Fuller, 1905–06
• Lancelot Hare, 1906–11
• Charles Stuart Bayley, 1911–12

Chief Commissioners of Assam (1912–21)

In 1912, East Bengal was re-incorporated into the Bengal Presidency, and Assam Province was again governed by a Chief Commissioner.

• Sir Archdale Earle, 1912–18
• Sir Nicholas Dodd Beatson-Bell, 1918–3 January 1921

Governors of Assam (1921–47)

In 1921, the chief commissionership was upgraded to governor.

• Sir Nicholas Dodd Beatson-Bell, 3 January 1921 – 2 April 1921, continued
• Sir William Sinclair Marris, 3 April 1921 – 10 October 1922
• Sir John Henry Kerr, 10 October 1922 – 28 June 1927
• Sir Egbert Laurie Lucas Hammond, 28 June 1927 – 11 May 1932
• Sir Michael Keane, 11 May 1932 – 4 March 1937
• Robert Neil Reid, 4 March 1937 – 4 May 1942
  • Henry Joseph Twynam, 24 February 1938 – 4 October 1939, acting for Reid
• Sir Andrew Gourlay Clow, 4 May 1942 – 4 May 1947
  • Rederik Chalmers Bourne, 4 April 1946–?, acting for Clow
  • Henry Foley Knight, 4 September 1946 – 23 December 1946, acting for Clow
• Sir Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari, 4 May 1947 – 15 August 1947

Governors of Assam since 1947

• Sir Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari, 15 August 1947 – 28 December 1948
• Ronald Francis Lodge, 30 December 1948 – 16 February 1949, acting
• Sri Prakasa, 16 February 1949 – 27 May 1950
• Jairamdas Daulatram, 27 May 1950 – 15 May 1956
• Saiyid Fazal Ali, 15 May 1956 – 22 August 1959
• Chandreswar Prasad Sinha, 23 August 1959 – 14 October 1959
• General (Retired) Satyavant Mallannah Shrinagesh, 14 October 1959 – 12 November 1960, first time
• Vishnu Sahay, ICS (Retired), 12 November 1960 – 13 January 1961, first time
• General (Retired) Satyavant Mallannah Shrinagesh, 13 January 1961 – 7 September 1962, second time
• Vishnu Sahay, ICS (Retired), 7 September 1962 – 17 April 1968, second time
• Braj Kumar Nehru, ICS (Retired), 17 April 1968 – 19 September 1973
  • Justice P. K. Goswami, 8 December 1970 – 4 January 1971, acting for Nehru
• Lallan Prasad Singh, ICS (Retired), 19 September 1973 – 10 August 1981
• Prakash Chandra Mehrotra, 10 August 1981 – 28 March 1984
• Justice Tribeni Sahai Misra, 28 March 1984 – 15 April 1984
• Bhishma Narain Singh, 15 April 1984 – 10 May 1989
• Harideo Joshi, 10 May 1989 – 21 July 1989
• Justice Anisetti Raghuvir, 21 July 1989 – 2 May 1990
• Justice Devi Das Thakur, 2 May 1990 – 17 March 1991
• Loknath Mishra, 17 March 1991 – 1 September 1997
• Lt. General (Retired) Srinivas Kumar Sinha, PVSM, 1 September 1997 – 21 April 2003
• Arvind Dave, IPS (Retired), 21 April 2003 – 5 June 2003
• Lt. General (Retired) Ajai Singh, 5 June 2003—4 July 2008
• Shiv Charan Mathur, 4 July 2008—25 June 2009
• K Sankaranarayanan, 26 June 2009 – 27 July 2009
• Syed Sibtey Razi, 27 July 2009 – 10 November 2009
• Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, 11 November 2009 – 11 December 2014
• Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya, December 2014 to 17 August 2016 ^[1]
• Banwarilal Purohit, 22 August 2016 - incumbent ^[2]

See also

• History of Assam
• Governors of India

References

• List of Governors from assamassembly.nic.in
• http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_states.html#Assam
• http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_BrProvinces.htm#Assam
• "Colonial administrators and post-independence leaders in India (1616–2000)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.  (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)