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, Secretary of State for India from 1905 to 1910 and again from 1911 to 1915]] The office of Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was created in 1858 when Company rule in India
Company rule in India

Company rule in India refers to the rule or dominion of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. This is variously taken to have commenced in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, when the Nawab of Bengal surrendered his dominions to the Company, in 1765, when the Company was granted the diwani, or the right to collect rev...
 ended and British India was brought under direct British administration (a period often called the British Raj
British Raj

British Raj primarily refers to the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule....
).

The Secretary of State
Secretary of State

Secretary of State is a commonly used title for a member of government. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the government....
 was the political head of the India Office
India Office

The India Office was the British government department responsible for the direct administration of British Raj. It was headed by the Secretary of State for India, who was a member of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom's Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
, a new British government department responsible for the government of India, and was a member of the cabinet of the United Kingdom
Cabinet of the United Kingdom

In the politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body composed of the most senior Her Majesty's Governmentminister chosen by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom....
.






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, Secretary of State for India from 1905 to 1910 and again from 1911 to 1915]] The office of Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was created in 1858 when Company rule in India
Company rule in India

Company rule in India refers to the rule or dominion of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. This is variously taken to have commenced in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, when the Nawab of Bengal surrendered his dominions to the Company, in 1765, when the Company was granted the diwani, or the right to collect rev...
 ended and British India was brought under direct British administration (a period often called the British Raj
British Raj

British Raj primarily refers to the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule....
).

The Secretary of State
Secretary of State

Secretary of State is a commonly used title for a member of government. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the government....
 was the political head of the India Office
India Office

The India Office was the British government department responsible for the direct administration of British Raj. It was headed by the Secretary of State for India, who was a member of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom's Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
, a new British government department responsible for the government of India, and was a member of the cabinet of the United Kingdom
Cabinet of the United Kingdom

In the politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body composed of the most senior Her Majesty's Governmentminister chosen by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom....
. In 1935, following the Government of India Act 1935
Government of India Act 1935

The Government of India Act 1935 was passes during the Interwar period and was the last pre-independence constitution of British Raj. The significant aspects of the act were:...
, a new Burma Office was created, in preparation for the establishment of Burma as a separate colony
Colony

In politics and in history, a colony is a Territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies....
, but the same Secretary of State headed both Departments and was styled the Secretary of State for India and Burma. The India Office came to an end in 1947, when the Partition of India
Partition of India

File:Brit IndianEmpireReligions3.jpgThe Partition of India was the Partition of British India that led to the creation, on August 14, 1947 and August 15, 1947, respectively, of the Sovereignty states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India ....
 resulted in the creation of two new independent dominion
Dominion

A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomy polity that were nominally under United Kingdom sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations, from the late 19th century....
s, the Union of India and the dominion of Pakistan
Dominion of Pakistan

The Dominion of Pakistan was a federal entity that was established in 1947 as a result of the Partition of India into two sovereign dominions: the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan....
. Burma achieved independence separately early in 1948.

Secretaries of State for India, 1858-1937


Name Entered office Left office
Lord Stanley
Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby

Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby, Order of the Garter, Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as Lord Stanley from 1844 to 1869, was a British statesman....
 		 2 September 1858 11 June 1859
Sir Charles Wood, Bt
Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax

Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax , known between 1846 and 1866 as Sir Charles Wood, Bt, was an England politician.A Liberal Party , Wood served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in John Russell, 1st Earl Russell's Whig Government 1846-1852 , as President of the Board of Control under George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen , as...
 		 18 June 1859 16 February 1866
The Earl de Grey
George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon

George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon Knight of the Garter, Order of the Star of India, Order of the Indian Empire, Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom politician who served in every Liberal Party cabinet from 1861 until his death forty-eight years later....
 		 16 February 1866 26 June 1866
Viscount Cranborne
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, Order of the Garter, Royal Victorian Order, Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and as Viscount Cranborne from 1865 until 1868, was a United Kingdom statesman and thrice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, serving for a total...
 		 6 July 1866 8 March 1867
Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt
Stafford Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh

Stafford Henry Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh Order of the Bath Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt, from 1851 to 1885, was a United Kingdom Conservative Party politician....
 		 8 March 1867 1 December 1868
The Duke of Argyll
George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll

George John Douglas Campbell, 8th and 1st Duke of Argyll was a prominent United Kingdom The Liberal Party politician as well as a writer on science, religion, and the politics of the 19th century....
 		 9 December 1868 17 February 1874
The Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, Order of the Garter, Royal Victorian Order, Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and as Viscount Cranborne from 1865 until 1868, was a United Kingdom statesman and thrice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, serving for a total...
 		 21 February 1874 2 April 1878
The Viscount Cranbrook 2 April 1878 21 April 1880
The Marquess of Hartington 28 April 1880 16 December 1882
The Earl of Kimberley
John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley

John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley Order of the Garter , Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as the Lord Wodehouse from 1846 to 1866, was a British Liberal Party politician....
 		 16 December 1882 9 June 1885
Lord Randolph Churchill
Lord Randolph Churchill

Lord Randolph Henry Spencer Churchill was a United Kingdom statesman.Lord Randolph was the third son of the John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough and his wife Frances Anne Emily Vane-Tempest , daughter of the Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry....
 		 24 June 1885 28 January 1886
The Earl of Kimberley
John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley

John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley Order of the Garter , Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as the Lord Wodehouse from 1846 to 1866, was a British Liberal Party politician....
 		 6 February 1886 20 July 1886
Sir R. A. Cross
R. A. Cross, 1st Viscount Cross

Richard Assheton Cross, 1st Viscount Cross, Order of the Bath Order of the Star of India Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom statesman and Conservative Party politician....
 
(Viscount Cross from 19 August 1886) 		3 August 1886 11 August 1892
The Earl of Kimberley
John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley

John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley Order of the Garter , Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as the Lord Wodehouse from 1846 to 1866, was a British Liberal Party politician....
 		 18 August 1892 10 March 1894
Henry Fowler
Henry Fowler, 1st Viscount Wolverhampton

Henry Hartley Fowler, 1st Viscount Wolverhampton, Privy Council of the United Kingdom , was born in Sunderland. He moved to Wolverhampton and practiced as a solicitor before entering Parliament as Liberal Party Member of Parliament for his adopted town in 1880....
 		 10 March 1894 21 June 1895
Lord George Hamilton
Lord George Hamilton

Lord George Francis Hamilton, Order of the Star of India was a British Conservative Party politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries....
 		 4 July 1895 9 October 1903
Hon. St John Brodrick
St John Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton

William St John Fremantle Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton, Order of St Patrick , commonly known as St John Brodrick, was an England Conservative Party statesman....
 		 9 October 1903 4 December 1905
John Morley
John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn

John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn, Order of Merit, Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom Liberal Party statesman, writer and newspaper editor....
 
(Viscount Morley of Blackburn from 1908) 		10 December 1905 3 November 1910
The Earl of Crewe
Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe

File:Robert Crewe-Milnes portrait.jpgRobert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe Knight of the Garter , Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom statesman and writer....
 		 3 November 1910 7 March 1911
The Viscount Morley of Blackburn
John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn

John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn, Order of Merit, Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom Liberal Party statesman, writer and newspaper editor....
 		 7 March 1911 25 May 1915
The Earl of Crewe
Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe

File:Robert Crewe-Milnes portrait.jpgRobert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe Knight of the Garter , Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom statesman and writer....
 
(Marquess of Crewe from July 1911) 		25 May 1911 25 May 1915
Austen Chamberlain
Austen Chamberlain

Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain, Order of the Garter was a British statesman, Politics, and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize....
 		 25 May 1915 17 July 1917
Hon. Edwin Samuel Montagu
Edwin Samuel Montagu

Edwin Samuel Montagu was a United Kingdom Liberal Party Jewish politician. The second son and seventh child of Samuel Montagu, 1st Baron Swaythling, he was educated at Clifton College, the City of London School, University College London and Trinity College, Cambridge....
 		 17 July 1917 19 March 1922
The Viscount Peel
William Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel

William Robert Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel Order of the Star of India Order of the British Empire Territorial Decoration Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom politician....
 		 19 March 1922 22 January 1924
The Lord Olivier
Sydney Olivier, 1st Baron Olivier

Sir Sydney Haldane Olivier, 1st Baron Olivier KCMG , was a United Kingdom civil servant. A Fabian Society and a member of the Labour Party , he served as Governor of Jamaica and as Secretary of State for India in the first government of Ramsay MacDonald....
 		 22 January 1924 3 November 1924
The Earl of Birkenhead
F. E. Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead

Frederick Edwin Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead, Order of the Star of India, Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom Conservative Party statesman and lawyer of the early 20th century....
 		 6 November 1924 18 October 1928
The Viscount Peel
William Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel

William Robert Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel Order of the Star of India Order of the British Empire Territorial Decoration Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom politician....
 		 18 October 1928 4 June 1929
William Wedgwood Benn
William Wedgwood Benn, 1st Viscount Stansgate

William Wedgwood Benn, 1st Viscount Stansgate Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Flying Cross Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom Liberal Party Member of Parliament who later joined the Labour Party ....
 		 7 June 1929 24 August 1931
Sir Samuel Hoare 25 August 1931 7 June 1935
The Marquess of Zetland
Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland

Laurence John Lumley Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland Knight of the Garter Order of the Star of India Order of the Indian Empire Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as Lord Dundas from 1873 to 1892 and as the Earl of Ronaldshay from 1892 to 1929, was a United Kingdom politician who served as Secretary of State for India in...
 		 7 June 1935 28 May 1937


Secretaries of State for India and Burma, 1937-1947


Name Entered office Left office
The Marquess of Zetland
Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland

Laurence John Lumley Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland Knight of the Garter Order of the Star of India Order of the Indian Empire Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as Lord Dundas from 1873 to 1892 and as the Earl of Ronaldshay from 1892 to 1929, was a United Kingdom politician who served as Secretary of State for India in...
 		 28 May 1937 13 May 1940
Leo Amery 13 May 1940 26 July 1945
The Lord Pethick-Lawrence
Frederick Pethick-Lawrence, 1st Baron Pethick-Lawrence

Frederick William Pethick-Lawrence, 1st Baron Pethick-Lawrence, Privy Counsellor was a United Kingdom Labour Party politician.Born Frederick Lawrence in London, he was the son of wealthy Unitarianism who were members of the Liberal Party ....
 		 3 August 1945 17 April 1947
The Earl of Listowel
William Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel

William Francis Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel, Order of St Michael and St George Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as Viscount Ennismore from 1924 to 1931, was a United Kingdom hereditary peer and Labour Party politician....
 		 17 April 1947 14 August 1947


Secretaries of State for Burma, 1947-1948


Name Entered office Left office
The Earl of Listowel
William Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel

William Francis Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel, Order of St Michael and St George Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as Viscount Ennismore from 1924 to 1931, was a United Kingdom hereditary peer and Labour Party politician....
 		 14 August 1947 4 January 1948


See also

  • British India
  • British Raj
    British Raj

    British Raj primarily refers to the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule....
  • British rule in Burma
  • India Office
    India Office

    The India Office was the British government department responsible for the direct administration of British Raj. It was headed by the Secretary of State for India, who was a member of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom's Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
  • Governor-General of India
    Governor-General of India

    The Governor-General of India was the head of the British Raj in India, and later, after Indian Independence Act 1947, the representative of the List of Indian monarchs#Kings of India and Pakistan....
  • Indian Civil Service
  • Commander-in-Chief, India
    Commander-in-Chief, India

    The British Commander-in-Chief in British India was the chief military commander for the British Raj in India and liaisoned with the civilian Governor-General of India....
  • Government of India Act
    Government of India Act

    The term Government of India Act refers to any one of a series of Act of Parliament passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to regulate the government of British India, in particular:...
  • Partition of India
    Partition of India

    File:Brit IndianEmpireReligions3.jpgThe Partition of India was the Partition of British India that led to the creation, on August 14, 1947 and August 15, 1947, respectively, of the Sovereignty states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India ....
  • British Empire
    British Empire

    The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
  • History of Bangladesh
    History of Bangladesh

    Bangladesh became one of the last large nation states in 1971 when it seceded from Pakistan. Prior to the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Bangladesh was a part of India which was ruled the British Empire and Mughal Empires....
  • History of India
    History of India

    The known history of India begins with the Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, from c....
  • History of Pakistan
    History of Pakistan

    The history of Pakistan as a state began with independence from British India on 14 August 1947, although the region has been inhabited continuously for at least two million years; its ancient history includes some of the oldest settlements of South Asia and some of its major civilizations....