Dennis Fitzpatrick (colonial administrator)

Sir Dennis Fitzpatrick GCSI (1837–1920) was a barrister and member of the Indian Civil Service, who became Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab 1892–1897.

Early life

Fitzpatrick was born in Dublin in 1837 the son of a physician, he was educated at Trinity College, Dublin.^[1]

Indian civil service

In 1858 Fitzpatrick passed the Indian Civil Service examination and the following year joined the Punjab Commission.^[1] He worked in the Delhi territory as a magistrate until called for special duties to related to the government defence of a case brought by the heirs of Begum Samru related to confiscation of estates and seizure of arms during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.^[1] As part of his special duties he returned to England in March 1969 and he was called to the bar by the Inner Temple.^[1]

Returning to India Fizpatrick became a deputy-secretary in the Legislative Department and in 1876 a Judge of the Chief Court in Lahore.^[1] He then became Secretary of the Legislative Department and acted as Secretary of the Home Department in early 1885.^[1] At the end of 1885 he became Resident in Mysore and for a few months Chief Commissioner of Coorg.^[1] In October 1887 he was Chief Commissioner in Assam before being transferred two years later to be Resident at Hyderabad.^[1] In the 1890 Birthday Honours he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India.

In March 1892 he returned to the Punjab as Lieutenant-Governor, a role he undertook until 1897 when he returned to the United Kingdom to join the London-based Council of India.^[1] Fitzpatrick retired from the Council in 1907.^[1] He was upgraded to Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) in the 1911 New Year Honours.

Family life

Fitzpatrick married Mary Buller in 1862, they had a large family, two daughters had died in India as well as a son who died in a railway accident, they had two further sons.^[1] Fitzpatrick died in London on 20 May 1920.^[1]

References