Sir Edward Albert GaitKCSI CIE (1863–1950) was an administrator in theIndian Civil Service who rose to serve asLieutenant-Governor of theBihar and Orissa Province in theBengal Presidency ofBritish India. He held that office for the years 1915–1920, with a brief absence during April–July 1918 whenEdward Vere Levinge officially acted in the position.[1]
Gait graduated fromUniversity College, London. He sat thecompetitive examination for the Indian Civil Service in 1882 and was subsequently appointed, arriving in India on 11 December of that year. He served as assistant commissioner inAssam, and then from 1890 as provincial superintendent for the 1891 census in that region. He wrote the official report for that region's census, which formed a part of the national census undertaken in that year.[2][3]
After various other roles in the administration, Gait was appointed as a magistrate andDistrict collector in November 1897.[2] In April 1900 he became superintendent of census operations inBengal,[2] where he worked withHerbert Hope Risley, theCensus Commissioner, to produce the official report of the 1901Census of India.[4] He was himself Census Commissioner from 1902 until after the census of 1911.[5]
Official recognition of his work came with the award ofCompanion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1907.[6] In 1912 he became aCompanion of the Star of India (CSI),[7] and in 1915 he was raised to the rank of Knight Commander (KCSI) in the same Order.[8] In 1917 he was appointed aKnight of Grace ofThe Grand Priory of the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in England.[9]
He was Lt.-Governor ofBihar andOrissa during 1915 and 1920. He also founded Bihar and Orissa Research Society in 1915 which was devoted to explore more about Indology and anthropology. The society published a journal with title ofJournal of Bihar and Orissa Research Society. Lt. Gait acted as president of the society from 1915 to 1920 while he was taking his office in Patna.[10]
Amrendra Thakur has said that with the publication ofA History of Assam "historical research in North East India entered into a new age. Truly speaking Gait's was the first full-length history of the province. The book is freely used by scholars as an authentic source material."[11]
Aside from co-editing the official Reports of the 1901 census of India, Gait wrote other publications. These include:
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