List of Governor-Generals

List of Governor-Generals[edit]

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Notable events	Appointer
Governors Generals of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), 1773–1833
	Warren Hastings  (1732-1818)	20 October 1773 [nb 1]	1 February 1785	Regulating Act of 1773 Supreme Council Of Bengal Asiatic Society of Bengal Stopped Mughal pension to Shah Alam II Stopped Diarchy in Bengal New Sanskrit School by Jonathan Deccan Moved Treasury from Murshidabad to Calcutta Bengal Gazette- First Indian newspaper published First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–82) Second Anglo-Mysore war (1780–84) First Rohilla W of 1773–1774 "Ring fence policy" Second Rohilla War 1779 Experimentation on land settlements. (1772-five years settlement, changed to 1 year in 1776) English Translation of Bhagwat Gita[2]	East India Company (1773–1858)
	John Macpherson (acting) (1745–1821)	1 February 1785	12 September 1786
	Charles Cornwallis The Marquess Cornwallis [nb 2] (1738–1805)	12 September 1786	28 October 1793	Established lower courts and appellate courts Permanent Settlement in Bihar and Bengal in 1793 3rd Mysore war Introduction of Cornwallis Code Introduction of Civil Services in India
	John Shore (1751–1834)	28 October 1793	18 March 1798	Policy of Non-intervention Charter Act of 1793 Battle of Kharda between Nizam and Marathas (1795)
	Alured Clarke (acting) (1744–1832)	18 March 1798	18 May 1798
	Richard Wellesley, Earl of Mornington[nb 3] (1760–1842)	18 May 1798	30 July 1805	Introduction of Subsidiary Alliance Fourth Anglo Mysore War 1799 Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–05) Fort William College at Calcutta Formation of Madras Presidency in 1801
	The Marquess Cornwallis (1738–1805)	30 July 1805	5 October 1805
	Sir George Barlow, Bt (acting) (1762–1847)	10 October 1805	31 July 1807	Sepoy mutiny at Vellore
	The Lord Minto (1751–1814)	31 July 1807	4 October 1813	Charter Act of 1813 Treaty of Amritsar, 1809 with Ranjit Singh
	Francis Rawdon-Hastings, The Earl of Moira [nb 4] (1754–1826)	4 October 1813	9 January 1823	Ended the policy of Non-intervention Third Anglo-Maratha War (1816-1818) Treaty of Sugauli Creation of Bombay Presidency in 1818 Establishment of Ryotwari System in Madras and Mahalwari System in Central India,Punjab And Western UP.
	John Adam (acting) (1779–1825)	9 January 1823	1 August 1823	Licensing Regulations
	The Lord Amherst[nb 5] (1773–1857)	1 August 1823	13 March 1828	First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–26) Treaty of Yandabo, 1826
	William Butterworth Bayley (acting) (1782–1860)	13 March 1828	4 July 1828
Governors-General of India, 1833–1858
	Lord William Bentinck (1774–1839)	4 July 1828	20 March 1835	First Governor General of India Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829 Charter Act, 1833 Saint Helena Act 1833 English Education Act 1835 Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata	East India Company (1773–1858)
	Charles Metcalfe, Bt (acting) (1785–1846)	20 March 1835	4 March 1836	Repealed 1823 Licensing Regulations Known as Liberator of India Press
	The Lord Auckland[nb 6] (1784–1849)	4 March 1836	28 February 1842
	The Lord Ellenborough (1790–1871)	28 February 1842	June 1844
	William Wilberforce Bird (acting) (1784–1857)	June 1844	23 July 1844
	Henry Hardinge[nb 7] (1785–1856)	23 July 1844	12 January 1848	The First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46) The Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–49) Treaty of Lahore
	The Earl of Dalhousie[nb 8] (1812–1860)	12 January 1848	28 February 1856	Doctrine of Lapse Charles Wood Despatch Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852) First Railway line connecting Bombay and Thane First telegraph Line was laid between Diamond Harbour to Calcutta. Post Office Act, 1854 Hindu widow remarriage act 1856 Established Public Works Department The Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-1849) Engineering College was established at Roorkee.[3]
	The Viscount Canning[nb 9] (1812–1862)	28 February 1856	31 October 1858	Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 The revolt of 1857
Governors-General and Viceroys of India, 1858–1947
	The Viscount Canning[nb 10] (1812–1862)	01 November 1858[4]	21 March 1862	University of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras were set up in 1858 The Government of India Act, 1858 System of Budget introduced Formation of Imperial Civil Services	Victoria (1837–1901)
	The Earl of Elgin (1811–1863)	21 March 1862	20 November 1863
	Robert Napier (acting) (1810–1890)	21 November 1863	2 December 1863
	William Denison (acting) (1804–1871)	2 December 1863	12 January 1864
	Sir John Lawrence, Bt (1811–1879)	12 January 1864	12 January 1869	Bhutan War Establishment of Shimla as India's summer capital in 1863
	The Earl of Mayo (1822–1872)	12 January 1869	8 February 1872	Assassinated by a Pathan Sher Ali Afridi Started the Census. Opening of Rajkot college in Kathiawar and Mayo College at Ajmer for political training of Indian Princes Started Financial Decentralisation
	Sir John Strachey (acting) (1823–1907)	9 February 1872	23 February 1872
	The Lord Napier (acting) (1819–1898)	24 February 1872	3 May 1872
	The Lord Northbrook (1826–1904)	3 May 1872	12 April 1876
	The Lord Lytton (1831–1891)	12 April 1876	8 June 1880	Vernacular Press Act, 1878 Second Anglo-Afghan War The Indians Arms Act (1878)[5] 1st Delhi Durbar out of 3 Queen Victoria assuming the title of 'Kaiser-i-Hind'
	The Marquess of Ripon (1827–1909)	8 June 1880	13 December 1884	First Factory Act (1881) Repeal of the Vernacular Press Act (1882) Ilbert Bill Government resolution on local self-government (1882) Appointment of Education Commission under Sir William Hunter
	The Earl of Dufferin (1826–1902)	13 December 1884	10 December 1888	Formation of Indian National Congress Third Anglo-Burmese War
	The Marquess of Lansdowne (1845–1927)	10 December 1888	11 October 1894	Indian Council Act 1892 Factory Act 1891 Setting up of Durand Commission (India-Afghanistan)
	The Earl of Elgin (1849–1917)	11 October 1894	6 January 1899
	The Lord Curzon of Kedleston[nb 11] (1859–1925)	6 January 1899	18 November 1905	Partition of Bengal (1905) 2st Delhi Durbar out of 3 (1903) Appointment of Police Commission under Sir Andrew Frazer Appointment of Raleigh University Commission (1902) Passing of Indian Universities Act 1904
	The Earl of Minto (1845–1914)	18 November 1905	23 November 1910	Morley-Minto Reforms 1909 or The Indian Councils Act 1909 Split in Congress in 1907 Establishment of Muslim League by Aga Khan (1906)	Edward VII (1901–1910)
	The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst (1858–1944)	23 November 1910	4 April 1916	Third Delhi Durbar (1911) Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911) Ghadar Mutiny (1915)	George V (1910–1936)
	The Lord Chelmsford (1868–1933)	4 April 1916	2 April 1921	Formation of Indian Home Rule Movement (1916) Lucknow Pact (1916) Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919) Government of India Act 1919 Rowlatt Act (1919) Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre (1919)
	The Earl of Reading (1860–1935)	2 April 1921	3 April 1926	Malabar rebellion (1921) Non-cooperation movement (1921-22) Chauri Chaura incident (1922)
	The Lord Irwin (1881–1959)	3 April 1926	18 April 1931	Simon Commission (1928) Nehru Report (1928) Death of Lala Lajpat Rai (1928) Fourteen Points of Jinnah (1929) Purna Swaraj declaration (1930) Salt March (1930) Dharasana Satyagraha (1930) First and Second Round Table Conferences (1930-31) Allahabad Address (1930) Gandhi–Irwin Pact (1931) Execution of Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar (1931)
	The Earl of Willingdon (1866–1941)	18 April 1931	18 April 1936	Pakistan Declaration (1933) Government of India Act 1935
	The Marquess of Linlithgow (1887–1952)	18 April 1936	1 October 1943	Indian provincial elections (1937) Indian entry into World War II (1939) Day of Deliverance (1939) Lahore Resolution (1940) Cripps Mission (1942) Formation of Indian Legion (1942) Quit India movement (1942) Formation of Indian National Army (1942) Bengal famine (1943)	Edward VIII (1936)
	The Viscount Wavell (1883–1950)	1 October 1943	21 February 1947	C. R. formula (1944) Simla Conference (1945) Cabinet Mission (1946) Direct Action Day (1946)	George VI (1936–1952)
	The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma (1900–1979)	21 February 1947	15 August 1947
Governors-General of the Dominion of India, 1947–1950
	The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma[nb 12] (1900–1979)	15 August 1947	21 June 1948		George VI (1936–1952)
	C. Rajagopalachari  (1878–1972)	21 June 1948	26 January 1950

Notes