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In 1644,Gabriel Boughton procured privileges for theEast India Company which permitted them to build a factory atHughli, without fortifications. Various chief agents, Governors and presidents were appointed to look after company affairs in the Bengal region. In 1765, theTreaty of Allahabad granted thediwani ofBengal subah to the EIC. In 1772,Warren Hastings was appointed as theGovernor-General of Fort William in Bengal which ended the title of Governor of Bengal.[1]
TheSaint Helena Act 1833 enacted that the Governor-General of India shall also act as the Governor of the Bengal presidency. From this time the Governors-General of India held also the separate office of Governor of Bengal, until the year 1854.[2]
The Section 56 of Act 16 & 17 Victoria in 1853 empowered the Court of Directors of EIC to declare that the Governor-General of India shall not be Governor of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal, but that a separate Governor shall be appointed for such Presidency. Until then, the Governor-General of India in Council will be directed to appoint a Lieutenant Governor of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal. In 1854,F. J. Halliday was appointed as the first lieutenant governor of the Bengal presidency.[3]
At theDelhi Durbar on 12 December 1911, KingGeorge V announced the transfer of the seat of the Government of India from Calcutta to Delhi, the reunification of the five predominantly Bengali-speaking divisions into a Presidency (or province) of Bengal under a governor, the creation of a new province ofBihar and Orissa under a lieutenant-governor, and thatAssam Province would be reconstituted under a chief commissioner. On 21 March 1912,Thomas Gibson-Carmichael was appointed the Governor of Bengal. On 22 March the provinces ofBengal, Bihar and Orissa and Assam were constituted.[4]
In 1947, India gainedindependence from theBritish Raj, and the newstate of West Bengal was formed following thepartition of India.C. Rajagopalachari was appointed as the firstGovernor of West Bengal. When theconstitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950, the office of Governor of West Bengal become a ceremonial position.
In 1644Gabriel Boughton, procured privileges for theEast India Company which permitted them to build a factory atHughli, without fortifications. In 1650, the factories of Balasor and Hughli were united. On 14 December 1650, James Bridgman was appointed as the chief of the factories. However, in 1653, Bridgman left suddenly and Powle Waldegrave assumed his charge.
On 27 February 1657, the company resolved its holdings into four agencies:-Fort St. George, Bantam, Persia, and Hughli. George Gawton was appointed as the Agent of Hughly. Additional three factories inBallasore,Cassambazar andPattana were put under the Hughly agency. In 1658, Johnathan Trevisa was appointed as the second to Gawton and was meant to succeed him after the latter's death. On 6 February 1661, the company reduced the Hughly agency under the Fort St. George, and then agent Trevisa was made the"Chief of Factories in the Bay of Bengal".On 24 November 1681,William Hedges was appointed as the "Agent and Governor for the affairs of the East India Company in the Bay of Bengal". On 21 December 1684,William Gyfford who was the President and Governor of Fort St. George was given the additional charge of Bengal due to increasing mismanagement. John Beard was appointed as the"Agent and Chief in the Bay of Bengal" and become the subordinate to Gifford.
| Chief of the factories of Balasore and Hughli | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Remarks |
| James Bridgman | 14 December 1650 | 1653 | ||
| Powle Waldegrave | 1653 | 1657 | ||
| Agent of Hughly Agency | ||||
| George Gawton | 27 February 1657 | 11 September 1658 | ||
| John Trevisa | 11 September 1658 | 6 February 1661 | ||
| Chief of Factories in the Bay of Bengal | ||||
| John Trevisa | 6 February 1661 | 31 January 1662 | ||
| William Blake | 31 January 1662 | 24 January 1668 | ||
| Shem Bridges | 24 January 1668 | 7 December 1669 | ||
| Henry Powell | 7 December 1669 | ? | ||
| Walter Clavell | ~June 1672 | 7 August 1677 | Died in office | |
| Matthias Vincent | 7 September 1677 | ~July 1682 (position superseded) | Deposed in July 1682 | |
| Agent and Governor for the affairs of the East India Company in the Bay of Bengal | ||||
| SirWilliam Hedges | 24 November 1681 | ~ August 1684 | Deposed in August 1864 | |
| Agent and Chief in the Bay of Bengal | ||||
| John Beard | 21 December 1863 | 28 August 1865 | Died in office | |
| Job Charnock | ~ April 1686 | 10 January 1693 | Died in office | |
| Francis Ellis | 10 January 1693 | January 1694 | ||
| Charles Eyre | 25 January 1694 | 1 February 1699 | Left for England in 1699 | |
| John Beard | 1 February 1699 | 20 December 1699 (position superseded) | Second to Eyre | |
On 20 December 1699, the Court of Directors (London East India Company) declared Bengal a Presidency, and then AgentCharles Eyre was made the" President and Governor of Fort William, in Bengal". The President or Chief in the Bay of Bengal for the English East India Company was SirEdward Littleton in whose commission and instructions, dated 12 January 1698, it was also stated that power had been obtained from his Majesty to constitute him the "Minister or Consul for the English Nation" with all powers requisite thereunto.” Littleton was later deposed by the Court of Directors in 1703.
The union of the two East India Companies took place on 23 July 1702. For united trade in Bengal, a Council was appointed, of which Nathaniel Halsey andRobert Hedges were to take chair each in their week alternatively as per the dispatch from United Company on 26 February 1702. In a dispatch of 12 February 1704, it was ordered that if Beard shall die, no one will be appointed as President to succeed him. After the departure of John Beard to Madras, Ralph Sheldon assumed the position of Chief of Council, and his appointment was confirmed in a dispatch of 7 February 1706.
| President and Governor of Fort William, in Bengal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Remarks |
| SirCharles Eyre | 20 December 1699 | 7 January 1701 | Left on account of health issues | |
| John Beard | 7 January 1701 | 7 July 1705 | Died in Office | |
On 30 December 1709, Anthony Weldon was appointed as the"President in the Bay, and Governor and Commander-in-Chief for Fort William, in Bengal" for the United East India Company. His appointment was later revoked and was supposed to be succeeded by Sheldon. Since Sheldon had died by the time dispatch arrived in Bengal, John Russell was ordered to succeed as the Governor. By a letter of 8 May 1771, the Court appointedWarren Hastings to be Governor of Bengal. By Act of Parliament 13 Geo. III., cap. 63, thePresidency of Fort William in Bengal will headed by a Governor-General, and Hastings was appointed as the first Governor-General. He assumed the office on 20 October 1774.
| President in the Bay, and Governor and Commander-in-Chief for Fort William, in Bengal | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Remarks | Appointee |
| 1 | Anthony Weldon | 30 December 1709 | 4 March 1711 | Appointment revoked by the Court of Directors Resigned on March 1711 | East India Company  | |
| 2 | John Rusell | 4 March 1711 | 3 December 1713 | Dismissed by the Court | ||
| 3 | Robert Hedges | 3 December 1713 | 28 December 1717 | died in office | ||
| 4 | Samuel Feake | 12 January 1718 | 17 January 1723 | Left for England due to illness | ||
| 5 | John Deane | 17 January 1723 | 30 January 1726 | Returned to England | ||
| 6 | Henry Frankland | 30 January 1726 | 25 February 1732 | Returned to Europe | ||
| 7 | John Stackhouse | 25 February 1732 | 29 January 1739 | Resigned | ||
| 8 | Thomas Broddyll | 29 January 1739 | 4 Feb 1746 | Left for England | ||
| 9 | John Forster | 4 Feb 1746 | March 1748 | Died in office | ||
| 10 | William Barwell | 18 April 1748 | 1749 | Dismissed by the Court | ||
| 11 | Adam Dawson | 17 July 1749 | 1752 | Dismissed by the Court | ||
| 12 | William Fytche | _-_Portrait_of_William_Fytche_of_Bengal_1752.jpg) | 5 July 1752 | 8 August 1752 | Died in Office | |
| 13 | Roger Drake | 8 August 1752 | 20 June 1758 | Deposed by the Court | ||
| 14 | ColonelRobert Clive | .jpg) | 27 June 1758 | 23 January 1760 | Resigned | |
| 15 | John Zephaniah Holwell |  | 28 January 1760 | 27 July 1760 | Handed over to Vansittart who was appointed on 23 November 1759 to the office | |
| 16 | Henry Vansittart |  | 27 July 1760 | 26 November 1764 | Returned to England | |
| 17 | John Spencer | 3 December 1764 | 3 May 1765 | |||
| 18 | Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive | | 3 May 1765 | 20 January 1767 | Returned to England | |
| 19 | Harry Verelst | 29 January 1767 | 24 December 1769 | Retired from the service | ||
| 20 | John Cartier | 26 December 1769 | 13 April 1772 | |||
| 21 | Warren Hastings |  | 13 April 1772 | 20 October 1773 (office superseded) | Appointed as the Governor-General of Fort William in Bengal in 1773 | |
By anAct of 1833 (3 & 4 William IV., cap. lxxxv., Section lvi.), it was enacted " that the Executive Government of each of the several Presidencies ofFort William in Bengal,Fort St. George,Bombay, andAgra shall be administered by a Governor and three Councilors, to be styled the Governor-in-Council of the said Presidencies of Fort William in Bengal, Fort St. George, Bombay, and Agra respectively, and that the Governor General of India for the time being shall be Governor of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal. From this time the Governors General of India held also the separate office of Governor of Bengal, until the year 1854.[2] Under theCharter Act 1853 theGovernor General of India was relieved of his concurrent duties as Governor of Bengal and empowered to appoint a lieutenant-governor from 1854.
| Governors of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal (ex-officio Governor-General of India, 1833-1857) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name (birth–death) | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Appointee |
| 1 | LordWilliam Bentick (1774–1839) |  | 15 November 1834 (1833) | 20 March 1835 | East India Company |
| - | Sir Charles Metcalfe, 3rd Baronet,ICS[6] (acting) (1785–1846) |  | 20 March 1835 | 4 March 1836 | |
| 2 | George Eden, 2nd Baron Auckland(1784–1849) |  | 4 March 1836 | 28 February 1842 | |
| 3 | Edward Law, 2nd Baron Ellenborough(1790–1871) |  | 28 February 1842 | June 1844 | |
| - | William Wilberforce Bird,ICS[6] (acting) (1784–1857) | June 1844 | 23 July 1844 | ||
| 4 | SirHenry Hardinge(1785–1856) |  | 23 July 1844 | 12 January 1848 | |
| 5 | James Broun-Ramsay, 10th Earl of Dalhousie(1812–1860) |  | 12 January 1848 | 1 May 1854 (28 February 1856) | |
Under theCharter Act 1853 theGovernor General of India was relieved of his concurrent duties as Governor of Bengal and a separate Governor of Bengal shall be appointed. Until then a Lieutenant Governor will be appointed.F. J. Halliday became the first lieutenant governor of theBengal presidency. William Duke served as the last lieutenant governor after which the office was superseded by the Governor of Bengal province in 1912.
Lord Curzon, theViceroy of India, proposed thePartition of Bengal on religious lines into hindu-majorityBengal and muslim-majorityEastern Bengal and Assam and put it into effect on 16 October 1905.Dacca became the capital. The partition stoked controversy among Indian nationalists, who described it as an attempt to "divide and rule" the Bengali homeland.[7] SirBampfylde Fuller was the province's first Lieutenant Governor. However, at theDelhi Durbar in 1911, KingGeorge V announced that the British government had decided to annul the partition. Eastern Bengal was reunited with western Bengali districts, andAssam was made a Chief-Commissionership.
| Lieutenant governors of the Province of Eastern Bengal and Assam | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Appointee |
| 1 | SirBampfylde Fuller | 16 October 1905 | 20 August 1906 | George Curzon, 1st Baron Curzon of Kedleston | |
| 2 | Lancelot Hare |  | 20 August 1906 | 1911 | Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto |
| 3 | SirCharles Stuart Bayley | 1911 | 21 March 1912 | Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst | |
On 12 December 1911 at theDelhi Durbar, KingGeorge V announced the transfer of the seat of theGovernment of India from Calcutta to Delhi and the reunification of the five predominantly Bengali-speaking divisions into a Presidency (or province) of Bengal under a Governor. On 1 April 1912Thomas Gibson-Carmichael was appointed the Governor of Bengal. SirFrederick Burrows became the last Governor of the Bengal province following theIndependence of India.
| Governors of Bengal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Appointee |
| Thomas Gibson-Carmichael, 1st Baron Carmichael |  | 1 April 1912 | 26 March 1917 | Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst |
| Lawrence Dundas, Earl of Ronaldshay |  | 26 March 1917 | 28 March 1922 | Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford |
| Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton |  | 28 March 1922 | 28 March 1927 | Rufus Isaacs, 1st Earl of Reading |
| SirFrancis Stanley Jackson |  | 28 March 1927 | 28 March 1932 | E. F. L. Wood, 1st Baron Irwin |
| SirJohn Anderson |  | 29 March 1932 | 30 May 1937 | Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Earl of Willingdon |
| Michael Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne | 30 May 1937 | 23 February 1939 | Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow | |
| SirJohn Arthur Herbert | 1 July 1939 | 1 December 1943 | ||
| Richard Casey, Baron Casey |  | 14 January 1944 | 19 February 1946 | Archibald Wavell, 1st Viscount Wavell |
| SirFrederick Burrows | 19 February 1946 | 15 August 1947 | ||
Media related toGovernors of Bengal at Wikimedia Commons
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