Secretary of State for India
Secretary of State for India | |
---|---|
Royal Arms as used by Her Majesty's Government | |
India Office | |
Member of |
British Cabinet Privy Council |
Seat | Westminster, London |
Appointer |
The British Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister |
Term length | No fixed term |
Constituting instrument | Government of India Act |
Precursor | President of the Board of Control |
Formation | 2 August 1858 |
First holder | Lord Stanley |
Final holder | William Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel |
Abolished | 14 August 1947 |
Deputy | Under-Secretary of State for India |
The Secretary of State for India or India Secretary was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of the British Raj (India), Aden, and Burma. The post was created in 1858 when the East India Company's rule in Bengal ended and India except for the Princely States was brought under the direct administration of the government in London, beginning the official colonial period under the British Empire.
In 1937, the India Office was reorganised which separated Burma and Aden under a new Burma Office, but the same Secretary of State headed both Departments and a new title was established as the Secretary of State for India and Burma. The India Office and its Secretary of State were abolished in August 1947, when the United Kingdom granted independence in the Indian Independence Act, which created two new independent dominions, the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. Myanmar (Burma) soon achieved independence separately in early 1948.
Secretaries of State for India, 1858–1937
Prior to the establishment of the British Empire on 2 August 1858, Lord Stanley had served as President of the Board of Control.
Secretaries of State for India and Burma, 1937–1947
Portrait | Name | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Most Honourable The Marquess of Zetland GCSI GCIE PC |
28 May 1937 |
13 May 1940 |
Conservative | Neville Chamberlain (4th National Min.; War Coalition) | |||
The Right Honourable Leo Amery MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook |
13 May 1940 |
26 July 1945 |
Conservative | Winston Churchill (War Coalition; Caretaker Min.) | |||
The Right Honourable The Lord Pethick-Lawrence PC |
3 August 1945 |
17 April 1947 |
Labour | Clement Attlee | |||
The Right Honourable The Earl of Listowel PC |
14 August 1947 |
4 January 1948 |
Labour |
Secretaries of State for Burma, 1947–1948
Portrait | Name | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Right Honourable The Earl of Listowel PC |
14 August 1947 |
4 January 1948 |
Labour | Clement Attlee |
See also
- India Office
- British Raj
- British rule in Burma
- Governor-General of India
- Imperial Civil Service
- Government of India Act
Notes
External links
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