The Governor-General of India (or, from 1858 to 1947, the Viceroy and Governor-General of India) was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William. The officer had direct control only over Fort William, but supervised other British East India Company officials in India. Complete authority over all of British India was granted in 1833, and the official became known as the Governor-General of India.

In 1858, the territories of the East India Company came under the direct control of the British Crown. The Governor-General headed the central Government of India which administered the Provinces of British India, including the Punjab, Bengal, Bombay, Madras, the United Provinces, and others. However, much of India was not ruled directly by the British government: outside the provinces of British India there were hundreds of nominally sovereign princely states or "native states", whose relationship was not with the British government, but directly with the monarch. To reflect the Governor-General's role as the representative of the monarch to the feudal rulers of the princely states, from 1858 the term Viceroy and Governor-General of India (known in short as the Viceroy of India) was applied to him.

The title of Viceroy was abandoned when India and Pakistan gained their independence in 1947, but the office of Governor-General continued to exist in both new dominions until they adopted republican constitutions in 1950 and 1956 respectively.

Until 1858, the Governor-General was selected by the Court of Directors of the East India Company, to whom he was responsible. Thereafter, he was appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the British government; the Secretary of State for India, a member of the UK Cabinet, was responsible for instructing him on the exercise of his powers. After 1947, the Sovereign continued to appoint the Governor-General, but did so on the advice of the Indian government, rather than the British one.

Governors-General served five-year terms, but could be removed earlier. After the conclusion of a term, a provisional Governor-General was sometimes appointed until a new holder of the office could be chosen. Provisional Governors-General were often chosen from among the provincial Governors.

1. LORD CANNING (1856-1862):

a)Last Gov. Gen and First Viceroy.

b)Mutiny of 1857

c)Queen’s proclamation @ Allahabad @ 1858

d) India Councils Act-1861

e)Withdrew Doctrine Of Lapse

f)White Mutiny-1859

g)Universities @Calcutta, Bombay, Madras

2. LORD ELGIN I (1862-1863):

a)He died @1862

b)Adminstration was carried by SIR NAPIER and SIR DENISON.

3.SIR JOHN LAWRENCE(1864-1868):

a)Telegraphic communication in Europe

b)High Court @Calcutta, Bombay , Madras.

c) War with Bhutan-1865

d)Canal works and Railways

e)Indian Forest Dept.

4. LORD MAYO(1868-1872):

a)Financial de-centralization.

b)Rajkot college@kathiawar, Mayo coll @ Ajmer.

c)First time census was taken-1871,

d) STATISTICAL SURVEY OF INDIA established.

e) ONLY VICEROY TO B KILLED by an Andaman Convict.

5. SIR JOHN STRATCHEY- 1872

a) In 1868, he became member of the governor-general's council, and on the assassination of Lord Mayo in 1872 he acted temporarily as viceroy.

b) In 1874 he was appointed lieutenant-governor of the North-Western Provinces. In 1876, by request of Lord Lytton and the secretary of state, he consented to relinquish that office, and returned to the governor-general's council as financial minister, which post he retained until 1880.

6. LORD NORTHBROOK(1872-1876):

a)Visit of Prince of wales in 1875

b)Resignation over afghan

7. LORD LYTTON I (1876-1880):

a)ARMS ACT & VERNACULAR PRESS ACT (1878)

b)ROYAL TITLES ACT- 1876

c) he was called “ viceroy of reverse characters”

d) Delhi durbar- jan 1877; queen Victoria- “empress of India”

e)Second afghan war

f) First Famine Commission under RICHARD STRACHEY

8.LORD RIPPON(1880-1884):

a) Only viceroy who sympathized Indians.

b) first Factory Act-1881

c) First census was taken

d) Repealed vernacular press act

e) implemented LOCAL SELF GOVT in India.

f)Division of finances @ Centre

g) primary and secondary education was given importance.

h) WILLIAM HUNTER’S COMMISSION- educational pupose.

i) ILLBERT BILL-1883

j) FAMINE CODE -1883

k) reduced Salt tax.

9.LORD DUFFERIN(1884-1888):

a)INC formed

b) Third Burmese war

c) Lord Cross was secretary of state then

10.LORD LANSDOWNE(1888-1894):

a) Second Factory Act

b) Categorisation of civil services-

i) Imperial ii) Provincial iii) Sub-ordinate

c)Indian Council Act-1892

d) DURAND COMMISION (1893)- Durand line separating british India and Afghanistan (now, it’s between Pakistan and Afghanistan).

11. LORD ELGIN II(1894-1899):

a) Assasination of 2 british officials by CHAPEKAR BROS(1897)

b) Great famine- LYALL commission was set up

12. LORD CURZON(1899-1905):

a) Indian Universities act- 1904

b) Commission Under SIR THOMAS RAYLEIGH for official control over universities.

c)Partition of Bengal

d)Official secrets act-1904

e)Police commission – under ANDREW FRASER

f) ICC (imperial cadet corps)

g) NWFP created (North Western Frontier Province)

h) Ancient Monument Preservation Act-1904

i) Archaeological survey of India

j) Indian coinage and paper currency act-1899

k)Agricultural research Inst @ delhi

l) Colonel.Young Husband’s expedition 2 tibet -1904

m) wrote 3 books on problems of Asians (Curzon wrote)

n)Punjab Land Transfer act

o) Wiston Project- irrigation

p) reduced salt tax; implemented tax for tea exported from India.

q) Mines Act; Assam Labour Act

r) Constructed VICTORIA MEMORIAL @ Calcutta

s) Calcutta Corporation Act.

13. LORD MINTO II (1905-1910):

a) Anti partition and Swadeshi movements.

b) Surat Split

c) India Council Act 1909 (minto morley reforms)

d) MUSLIM LEAGUE- 1906

14. LORD HARDINGE(1910-1916):

a) Delhi durbar -1911 (Coronation of GEORGE V and Queen Mary)

b)Bengal partition annulled.

c) capital-> from Calcutta 2 delhi.

d) A bomb was thrown to attack hardinge, but he escaped.

e) Gandhi returned from South Africa.

f)Annie Besant & Tilak – Home Rule

g) G.K. gokalae died- 1915

h) Foundation of HINDU MAHASABHA ( madan mohan malviya and few Punjabi leaders)

15. LORD CHELMSFORD(1916-1921):

a) Lucknow session of INC

b) Lucknow Pact

c)Gandhi- Champaran satyagraha

Satyagraha @ ahmedabad

Khaira Satyagraha

d)August declaration-1917

e)Indian Liberal Federation (1918)- S.N. Banerji (he and few others had resigned from INC then)

f)Rowlatt Act, Jallian Walabagh(1919)

g) Tilak died-1920

h) Khilafat comm. (1920)

i)Non-Co-operation movement

j) Nagpur Session of INC (constitutional changes in INC)

k)Women’s Univ @ poona

l)S.P.SINHA – Lt. governor of bihar

(he was the first Indian to become a governor. He was the second Indian to be a member of british parliament, first was dadabainaoroji)

n)Saddler commission (1917) – to envisage educational policy.

16. LORD READING (1921-1925):

a) Rowlatt act and press acts repealed

b)Non co-op movement suppressed

c) Prince of wales visited India.

d) Moplah rebellion- kerala

e)Swaraj party

f)Viswabharathi University

g) communist party – M.N.Roy

h) KAKORY train robbery – 1925

i) Swami shradanand- leader of arya samajists killed

j) Chauri chaura incident

k) Rashtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS)- K.B. Hedgewar @ Nagpur.

l)simultaneus ICS exams at England and India.

m) INDIANISATION of Indian army- officers cadre

17)LITTON II (1925):

Victor Alexander George Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton (acting)

18)LORD IRWIN(1926-1931):

a) known as “Christian Viceroy”.

b) Simon comm..

c) Indian resolution – 1929.

d) Dandi March-1930

e) Civil disob.

f) first Round tabl conf. (1930).

- Gandhi Irwin pact; civil dis-ob – withdrawn.

g) “deepavali declaration”- was said that India would be granted dominion status.

h) Lahore session- poorna swaraj

i) jan 26^th 1930 – as 1^st independence day.

19.LORD WILLINGDON(1931-36): (REFER DATES IN PD)

a) II round table conf. @ London – (1931)

b)Gandhi was arrested, civil- dis-ob again started.

c)Communal award

d)Gandhi’s fast unto death @ poona prison

e) III round table conference

f) poona pact (Gandhi & ambedkar)

g) Govt. of India Act- 1935

h) separation of Burma from India- 1935

i) Congress/ Socialist party – Acharya Narendra Dev &

Jai Prakash Narayan

j)All India Kisan Sabha – 1936.

20. LORD LINLITHGOW(1936-1944):

a) deliverance day

b) Churchill’s Atlantic charter ( was not applied 2 India c) world war II

d)Cripps Mission – 1942

e)Quit India Movement – 1942

f) Resignation of subash from INC

g) formation of FORWARD BLOCK

h) August offer of 1940

i) Gandhi’s individual satyagraha

21. LORD WAVEWELL (1944-1947):

a) Simla conference

b) Cabinet Mission plan

c)elections to constituent assembly. 1^st meeting on dec 9^th 1946.

d) Interim Govt. – Nehru

e) C.R. formula

f) Direct action day – 17^th august 1946

22.LORD MOUNTBATTEN(1947-1948):

a) last viceroy and 1^st gov. gen of free India

b) Partition of India – june 3^rd plan

c) Indian independence Act- 1947 ( India became independent with this)

d) murder of gandhi

e)Kashmir annexed

23.C.RAJAGOPALACHARI :

First and last Indian Governor general of free India.

Governors-General of Fort William in Bengal
Warren Hastings	1774-1784
Sir John Macpherson (acting)	1785-1786
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis	1786-1793
Sir John Shore, 1st Baron Teignmouth	1793-1798
Sir Alured Clarke (acting)	1798
Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley	1798-1805
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis	1805
Sir George Barlow	1805-1806
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto	1806-1813
Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings	1813-1823
John Adam (acting)	1823
William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst of Arracan	1823-1828
William Butterworth Bayley (acting)	1828
William Cavendish Bentinck, Lord Bentinck	1828-1833
Governors-General of India
William Cavendish Bentinck, Lord Bentinck	1833-1835
Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe (acting)	1835
George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland	1836-1842
Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough	1842-1844
William Wilberforce Bird (acting)	1844
Henry Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Lahore	1844-1847
James Andrew Broun Ramsay, 1st Marquess and Earl of Dalhousie	1848-1856
Charles John Canning, Viscount Canning	1856
Governors-General and Viceroys
Charles John Canning, Viscount Canning	1858-1862
James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin	1862-1863
Sir Robert Cornelis Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala (acting)	November-December 1863
Sir William Denison (acting)	December 1863-January 1864
John Laird Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence	1864-1869
Robert Southwell Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo	1869-1872
Sir John Strachey (acting)	February 1872
Sir Francis Napier, 9th Baron Napier (acting)	February-May 1872
Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook	1872-1876
Edward Robert Bulwer Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton	1876-1880
George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon	1880-1884
Frederick Hamilton-Temple Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava	1884-1888
Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne	1888-1894
Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin	1894-1899
George Curzon, 1st Marquis Curzon of Kedleston	1899-1904
Arthur Oliver Villiers Russell, Lord Ampthill (acting)	1904
George Curzon, 1st Marquis Curzon of Kedleston	1904-1905
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto	1905-1910
Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst	1910-1916
Frederick John Napier Thesiger, 1st Viscount of Chelmsford	1916-1921
Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading	1921-1925
Victor Alexander George Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton (acting)	1925-1926
Edward Frederick Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax	1926-1929
George Joachim Goschen, 2nd Viscount Goschen	1929-1931
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon	1931-1936
Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow	1936-1943
Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell	1943-1947
Louis Mountbatten, Earl Mountbatten of Burma	1947