James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie

James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie , KT , PC (born April 22, 1812 in Dalhousie Castle , Scotland , † December 19, 1860 ibid) was Governor General of British India .

Life

James Broun-Ramsay came from an old Scottish family and studied at Christ Church College of Oxford University . In 1837 he was for the county Haddingtonshire the lower house elected. In 1838, after the death of his father, whose title he inherited, he moved to the House of Lords , where he joined the Tories .

In 1843 he became Vice President, in 1845 President of the Board of Trade and a member of the Privy Council . In these offices he defended the abolition of protective tariffs and paid special attention to railroad issues. After resigning with the Cabinet under Robert Peel in July 1846 and refusing to remain in office under John Russell , he was appointed Governor General of India in 1847, where he arrived in January 1848.

Soon after his arrival began Second Sikh War , of 1849, after many vicissitudes with the annexation of the former Sikhstaats ended. With Burma he led the Second Anglo-Burmese War , which resulted in the annexation of the central part of Burma. Broun-Ramsay received the thanks of Parliament for this in 1849 and was appointed Marquess . In particular, however, its administration was important for the internal development of the country and especially the training of its means of transport. It was largely at his instigation that the railway network , mostly built by stock corporations , came into being , with 4,000 miles of telegraph lines and 2,000 miles of country roads laid under him. The establishment of health stations for troops and officials as well as the organization of an orderly administration in Punjab as in Burma was also his merit. In 1853 he was appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports .

His actions against the densely populated kingdom of Avadh , which was located in the heart of Hindustan , were criticized . Bad government and non-fulfillment of the treaties the Nawabs of Awadh had signed with the East Indian government led to the annexation of this country. It was carried out by the government after Broun-Ramsay resigned, but had to be charged to him since it was initiated by Broun-Ramsay. The events were one of the main causes of the Sepoy uprising of 1857 .

For health reasons, Broun-Ramsay resigned from office in March 1856 and has lived in seclusion in the United Kingdom ever since. He died after a long period of suffering at his ancestral home, Dalhousie Castle.

literature

predecessor Office successor
Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge Governor General of India
1848–1856
Charles John Canning, 2nd Viscount Canning
New title created Marquess of Dalhousie
1849-1860
Title expired
George Ramsay Earl of Dalhousie
1838-1860
Fox Maule-Ramsay