The Governor-General of India was the highest-ranking official in British India, representing the British monarch in India. This position was established by the British East India Company in 1773, and later, the Governor-General became the head of the British administration in India until India gained independence in 1947. Below is a list of notable Governor-Generals of India with brief information about their contributions.
The British territories in India were divided into three administrative units called Presidencies: Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, each governed by a Governor. The supreme authority was the Governor-General, with Warren Hastings being the first Governor-General of Bengal. This article covers the Governors-General of India, their achievements, and key reforms during their tenures, a topic often featured in competitive exams like the IAS Exam. General awareness, crucial yet often overlooked by candidates, plays a significant role in many entrance exams, accounting for around 25% of the questions.
The list of Governor-Generals of India includes important leaders who governed British India. From Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General, to Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, the last, each played a significant role in shaping policies, reforms, and administration during their respective tenures.
| Governor-Generals & Viceroys | Term | Events During Regime |
| Warren Hastings | 1773- 1785 | · Regulating Act of 1773 · Pitt’s India Act of 1784 · The Rohilla War of 1774 · The First Maratha War in 1775-82 and the Treaty of Salbai in 1782 · Second Mysore War in 1780-84 |
| Lord Cornwallis | 1786 – 1793 | · Third Mysore War (1790-92) and Treaty of Seringapatam (1792) · Cornwallis Code (1793) · Permanent Settlement of Bengal, 1793 |
| Lord Wellesley | 1798 – 1805 | · Introduction of the Subsidiary Alliance System (1798) · Fourth Mysore War (1799) · Second Maratha War (1803-05) |
| Lord Minto | 1807 – 1813 | · Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh (1809) |
| Lord Hastings | 1813 – 1823 | · Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16) and the Treaty of Sagauli, 1816 · Third Maratha War (1817-19) and dissolution of Maratha Confederacy · Establishment of Ryotwari System (1820) |
| Lord Amherst | 1823 – 1828 | · First Burmese War (1824-1826) |
| Lord William Bentick | 1828 – 1835 | · Abolition of Sati System (1829) · Charter Act of 1833 |
| Lord Auckland | 1836 – 1842 | · First Afghan War (1838-42) |
| Lord Hardinge | 1844 – 1848 | · First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46) and the Treaty of Lahore (1846). · Social reforms like the abolition of female infanticide |
| Lord Dalhousie | 1848 – 1856 | · Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49) · The annexation of Lower Burma (1852) · Introduction of the Doctrine of Lapse · Wood’s Despatch 1854 · Laying down of first railway line connecting Bombay and Thane in 1853 · Laying down of first railway line connecting Bombay and Thane in 1853 · Establishment of PWD |
| Lord Canning | 1856 – 1862 | · Revolt of 1857 · Establishment of three universities at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1857 · Abolition of East India Company and transfer of control to the Crown by the Government of India Act, 1858 · Indian Councils Act of 1861 |
| Lord John Lawrence | 1864 – 1869 | · Bhutan War (1865) · Establishment of the High Courts at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras (1865) |
| Lord Lytton | 1876 – 1880 | · The Vernacular Press Act (1878) · The Arms Act (1878) · The Second Afghan War (1878-80) · Queen Victoria assumed the title of ‘Kaiser-i-Hind’ or Queen Empress of India |
| Lord Ripon | 1880 – 1884 | · Repeal of the Vernacular Press Act (1882) · The first Factory Act (1881) · Government resolution on local self-government (1882) · The Ilbert Bill controversy (1883-84) · Hunter Commission on education (1882) |
| Lord Dufferin | 1884 – 1888 | · The Third Burmese War (1885-86). · Establishment of the Indian National Congress (1885) |
| Lord Lansdowne | 1888 – 1894 | · Factory Act (1891). · Indian Councils Act (1892). · Setting up of Durand Commission (1893) |
| Lord Curzon | 1899 – 1905 | · Appointment of Police Commission (1902) · Appointment of Universities Commission (1902) · Indian Universities Act (1904). · Partition of Bengal (1905) |
| Lord Minto II | 1905 – 1910 | · Swadeshi Movements. (1905-11) · Surat Split of Congress (1907) · Establishment of Muslim League (1906) · Morley-Minto Reforms(1909) |
| Lord Hardinge II | 1910 – 1916 | · Annulment of Partition of Bengal (1911) · Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911). · Establishment of the Hindu Mahasabha (1915) |
| Lord Chelmsford | 1916 – 1921 | · Lucknow pact (1916) · Champaran Satyagraha (1917) · Montagu’s August Declaration (1917) · Government of India Act (1919) · The Rowlatt Act (1919) · Jallianwalla Bagh massacre (1919) · Launch of Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movements |
| Lord Reading | 1921 – 1926 | · Chauri Chaura incident (1922) · Withdrawal of Non-Cooperation Movement (1922) · Establishment of Swaraj Party(1922) · Kakori train robbery (1925) |
| Lord Irwin | 1926 – 1931 | · Simon Commission to India (1927) · Harcourt Butler Indian States Commission (1927) · Nehru Report (1928) · Deepavali Declaration (1929) · Lahore session of the Congress (Purna Swaraj Resolution) 1929 · Dandi March and the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930) · First Round Table Conference (1930) · Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) |
| Lord Willingdon | 1931 – 1936 | · Communal Award (1932) · Second & Third Round Table Conference (1932) · Poona Pact (1932) · Government of India Act of 1935 |
| Lord Linlithgow | 1936 – 1944 | · Resignation of the Congress ministries after the outbreak of the Second World War (1939) · Tripuri Crisis & formation of Forward Bloc (1939) · Lahore Resolution of the Muslim League (demand for a separate state for Muslims) 1940 · ‘August Offer’ (1940) · Formation of the Indian National Army (1941) · Cripps Mission (1942) · Quit India Movement (1942) |
| Lord Wavell | 1944 – 1947 | · C. Rajagopalachari’s CR Formula (1944) · Wavell Plan and the Simla Conference (1942) · Cabinet Mission (1946) · Direct Action Day (1946) · Announcement of end of British rule in India by Clement Attlee (1947) |
| Lord Mountbatten | 1947 – 1948 | · June Third Plan (1947) · Redcliff commission (1947) · India’s Independence (15 August 1947) |
| Chakravarti Rajagopalachari | 1948 – 1950 | · Last Governor-General of India, before the office, was permanently abolished in 1950 |
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