List of Governor-general and Viceroy of India

British territories were broadly divided into administrative units called Presidencies. There were three Presidencies: Bengal, Madras and Bombay. Each was ruled by a Governor. The supreme head of the administration was the Governor-General. More such information on different Viceroys and Governor-General Of India along with the major reforms brought by them are given below in the form of a list. This is quite important to remember for aspirants of various governmnet exams and other competitive exams.

Significant Events Related with Important Governors-General & Viceroys of India

Governors-General & Viceroys

Events during the reign

Warren Hastings (1773-1785)

Ø Regulating Act of 1773

Ø The Rohilla War of 1774

Ø The First Maratha War in 1775-82 and the Treaty of Salbai in 1782

Ø Pitt’s India Act of 1784

Ø Second Mysore War in 1780-84

Lord Cornwallis (1786-1793)

Ø Third Mysore War (1790-92) and Treaty of Seringapatam (1792)

Ø Cornwallis Code (1793)

Ø Permanent Settlement of Bengal, 1793

Lord Wellesley (1798-1805)

Ø Introduction of the Subsidiary Alliance System (1798)

Ø Fourth Mysore War (1799)

Ø Second Maratha War (1803-05)

Lord Minto I (1807-1813)

Ø Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh (1809)

Lord Hastings (1813-1823)

Ø Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16) and the Treaty of Sagauli, 1816

Ø Third Maratha War (1817-19) and dissolution of Maratha Confederacy

Ø Establishment of Ryotwari System (1820)

Lord Amherst (1823-1828)

Ø First Burmese War (1824-1826)

Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835)

Ø Abolition of Sati System (1829)

Ø Charter Act of 1833

Lord Auckland (1836-1842)

Ø First Afghan War (1838-42)

Lord Hardinge I (1844-1848)

Ø First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46) and the Treaty of Lahore (1846).

Ø Social reforms like the abolition of female infanticide

Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856)

Ø Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49)

Ø The annexation of Lower Burma (1852)

Ø Introduction of the Doctrine of Lapse

Ø Wood’s Despatch 1854

Ø Laying down of first railway line connecting Bombay and Thane in 1853

Ø Laying down of first railway line connecting Bombay and Thane in 1853

Ø Establishment of PWD

Lord Canning (1856-1862)

Ø Revolt of 1857

Ø Establishment of three universities at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1857

Ø Abolition of East India Company and transfer of control to the Crown by the Government of India Act, 1858

Ø Indian Councils Act of 1861

Lord John Lawrence (1864-1869)

Ø Bhutan War (1865)

Ø Establishment of the High Courts at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras (1865)

Lord Lytton (1876-1880)

Ø The Vernacular Press Act (1878)

Ø The Arms Act (1878)

Ø The Second Afghan War (1878-80)

Ø Queen Victoria assumed the title of ‘Kaiser-i-Hind’ or Queen Empress of India

Lord Ripon (1880-1884)

Ø The first Factory Act (1881)

Ø Repeal of the Vernacular Press Act (1882)

Ø Government resolution on local self-government (1882)

Ø Hunter Commission on education (1882)

Ø The Ilbert Bill controversy (1883-84)

Lord Dufferin (1884-1888)

Ø The Third Burmese War (1885-86).

Ø Establishment of the Indian National Congress (1885)

Lord Lansdowne (1888-1894)

Ø Factory Act (1891).

Ø Indian Councils Act (1892).

Ø Setting up of Durand Commission (1893)

Lord Curzon (1899-1905)

Ø Appointment of Police Commission (1902)

Ø Appointment of Universities Commission (1902)

Ø Indian Universities Act (1904).

Ø Partition of Bengal (1905)

Lord Minto II (1905-1910)

Ø Swadeshi Movements. (1905-11)

Ø Establishment of Muslim League (1906)

ØSurat Split of Congress (1907)

Ø Morley-Minto Reforms(1909)

Lord Hardinge II (1910-1916)

Ø Annulment of Partition of Bengal (1911)

Ø Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911).

Ø Establishment of the Hindu Mahasabha (1915)

Lord Chelmsford (1916-1921)

Ø Lucknow pact (1916)

Ø Champaran Satyagraha (1917)

Ø Montagu’s August Declaration (1917)

Ø Government of India Act (1919)

ØThe Rowlatt Act (1919)

ØJallianwalla Bagh massacre (1919)

Ø Launch of Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movements

Lord Reading (1921-1926)

Ø Chauri Chaura incident (1922)

Ø Withdrawal of Non-Cooperation Movement (1922)

Ø Establishment of Swaraj Party(1922)

Ø Kakori train robbery (1925)

Lord Irwin (1926-1931)

Ø Simon Commission to India (1927)

Ø Harcourt Butler Indian States Commission (1927)

Ø Nehru Report (1928)

Ø Deepavali Declaration (1929)

Ø Lahore session of the Congress (Purna Swaraj Resolution) 1929

Ø Dandi March and the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930)

ØFirst Round Table Conference (1930)

Ø Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931)

Lord Willingdon (1931-1936)

Ø Communal Award (1932)

Ø Second & Third Round Table Conference (1932)

Ø Poona Pact (1932)

Ø Government of India Act of 1935

Lord Linlithgow (1936-1944)

Ø Resignation of the Congress ministries after the outbreak of the Second World War (1939)

Ø Tripuri Crisis & formation of Forward Bloc (1939)

Ø Lahore Resolution of the Muslim League (demand for a separate state for Muslims) 1940

Ø ‘August Offer’ (1940)

Ø Formation of the Indian National Army (1941)

Ø Cripps Mission (1942)

Ø Quit India Movement (1942)

Lord Wavell (1944-1947)

Ø C. Rajagopalachari’s CR Formula (1944)

Ø Wavell Plan and the Simla Conference (1942)

Ø Cabinet Mission (1946)

Ø Direct Action Day (1946)

Ø Announcement of end of British rule in India by Clement Attlee (1947)

Lord Mountbatten (1947-1948)

Ø June Third Plan (1947)

Ø Redcliff commission (1947)

Ø India’s Independence (15 August 1947)

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1948-1950)

Ø Last Governor-General of India, before the office, was permanently abolished in 1950