The post of Governor-General of Bengal was renamed "Governor-General of India" by a Charter Act in 1833 (the first Governor-General of India was William Bentinck). This position was primarily administrative in nature, and it reported to the East India Company's Court of Directors. In this article, we will discuss Governor Generals of India (1832-1858) which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Lord William Bentinck (1828 - 1835)

• Lord William Bentinck was a British statesman and soldier. From 1828 to 1835, he was Governor-General of India.
• He is credited with significant social and educational reforms in India, including the abolition of sati and the prohibition of women from witnessing cremations on Varanasi's ghats, as well as the suppression of female infanticide and human sacrifice.
• After consulting with the army and officials, Bentinck passed the Bengal Sati Regulation in 1829 with little opposition.
• The Dharma Sabha was the only challenger, and it appealed to the Privy Council, but the ban on Sati was upheld.
• With the help of his chief captain, William Henry Sleeman, he put an end to lawlessness by eliminating thuggee, which had existed for over 450 years.
• Along with Thomas Babington Macaulay, he was instrumental in establishing English as a language of instruction in India.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835)

Sir Charles Metcalfe (1835 - 1836)

• Lord Metcalfe was the Governor General of India from 1835 to 1836 and had succeeded Lord William Bentinck as senior member of the council.
• His brief tenure in office is notable for a measure initiated by his predecessor but carried out by him. He is best known for granting complete freedom to the press.
• It was public opinion in India, but there were people both at home and in India who were opposed to this policy.
• Lord Metcalfe is known as the "Liberator of India Press" because of his liberal press policy, but he soon became a victim of English party politics and was succeeded by Lord Auckland in 1836.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Sir Charles Metcalfe (1835-1836)

Lord Auckland (1836 - 1842)

• George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland (25 August 1784 – 1 January 1849) was a politician and colonial administrator from England.
• He was First Lord of the Admiralty three times and Governor-General of India from 1836 to 1842.
• In New Zealand, he is commemorated by the province of Auckland, which includes the current regions of Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Gisborne, as well as the city of Auckland.
• In June 1838, Lord Auckland signed the Tripartite Treaty with Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire and Shah Shuja of Afghanistan.
• His private secretary was John Russell Colvin, who rose to the position of lieutenant-governor of the North-West Provinces and named his son Auckland Colvin after him. As a legislator, he focused on improving native schools and expanding India's commercial industry.
• However, complications in Afghanistan disrupted this work in 1838.
• Lord Auckland declared war and published the Simla Manifesto on October 1, 1838, dethroning Dost Mahommed Khan.
• Following the success of his early operations, he was created Baron Eden of Norwood in the County of Surrey and Earl of Auckland.
• However, the Afghan campaign ultimately failed miserably. He handed over the governorship to Lord Ellenborough and returned to England the following year.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Auckland (1836-1842)

Lord Ellenborough (1842 - 1844)

• Lord Ellenborough (1790-1871) was Governor General of India from February 1842 to June 1844.
• Edward Law Ellenborough was a Tory politician who held the position of president of the board of control, equivalent in rank to a cabinet member, four times between 1828 and 1841.
• He was the son of Edward Baron Ellenborough (Lord Chief Justice of England) and educated at Eton and St John's, Cambridge.
• The cabinet nominated Lord Ellenborough to be the Governor General of India in October 1941.
• However, Ellenborough's regime was highly divisive. His aggressive policy made British India's relations with its neighbours more hostile than ever. Civilians couldn't stand him because of his erroneous perception of Indian problems.
• Furthermore, in his dealings with civilians, he was too imperious and inaccessible to be acceptable to civil servants. He didn't realise that in a colonial setting, civilians were supposed to run the state with the Governor General's approval.
• In June 1844, the Court of Directors recalled him due to the civilians' continued non-cooperation.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Ellenborough (1842-1844)

Lord Hardinge-I (1844 - 1848)

• Henry Hardinge (30 March 1785 – 24 September 1856) was a British Army officer and politician. He served as the Governor General of India from 1844 to 1848.
• After serving in the Peninsular War and the Waterloo Campaign, he was appointed Secretary at War in Wellington's cabinet.
• After serving as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1830, he returned to Sir Robert Peel's cabinet as Secretary at War.
• He later served as Governor-General of India during the First Anglo-Sikh War and as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces during the Crimean War.
• Following Lord Ellenborough's recall, the Ministry proposed his kinsman and friend, Sir Henry Hardinge, as his successor, and the Court of Directors enthusiastically supported the nomination.
• Within three months of his arrival, he issued the memorable resolution promising the encouragement of office and promotion in the public service to successful students of Government colleges as well as private institutions, allowing the state to reap the benefits of the talent that it had helped to develop.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Hardinge-I (1844-1848)

Lord Dalhousie (1848 - 1856)

• Lord Dalhousie, known as Lord Ramsay until 1838 and The Earl of Dalhousie between 1838 and 1849, was a Scottish statesman and British Indian colonial administrator. From 1848 to 1856, he was Governor-General of India.
• Dalhousie declared that "the extinction of all native Indian states is just a matter of time."
• The ostensible reason for this policy was his belief that British administration was far superior to native rulers' corrupt and oppressive administration.
• The overarching goal of Dalhousie's policy was to increase British exports to India.
• Dalhousie, like other aggressive imperialists, believed that British exports to India's native states were suffering as a result of mismanagement by their Indian rulers.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856)

Lord Canning (1856 - 1857)

• Charles John Canning, 1st Earl Canning, was an English statesman who served as Governor-General of India before becoming the first Viceroy of India after power was transferred from the East India Company to the British Crown following the end of the 1857 revolt.
• When he assumed administrative duties in India, one of his first acts was to pass the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 (passed on July 16, 1856) drafted by his predecessor Lord Dalhousie, as well as the General Service Enlistment Act of 1856. But, before these acts could take effect, a watershed moment in Indian history occurred.
• That event was the Revolt of 1857, which arose from long-simmering tensions over the British presence and policies in India.
• Despite believing himself insufficient for the task at hand, Canning rose to the occasion by weathering the storm and preserving British India's colonial hold through sound judgement and a swift hand.
• When the rebellion was put down, he implemented a policy of clemency that did not punish the sepoys who had disbanded and dispersed to their villages when ordered to do so during the rebellion.
• His opponents derisively referred to him as "Clemency Canning" because British popular opinion at the time called for collective and indiscriminate retaliation against the local population.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Canning (1856-1857)

Conclusion

The British parliament passed an act in August 1858 that effectively ended the company's rule. The Government of India Act of 1858 was passed, establishing the post of Viceroy, which meant the monarch's representative. It was to be held by the same person who held the position of Governor-General of India. The British Governor-General of India was now given the title of viceroy, which meant the monarch's representative.