John Adam (Governor General)

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John Adam (born May 4, 1779 , † June 4, 1825 off Madagascar ) was a British official and interim Governor General of Fort William .

Life

He was born the son of Scottish MP William Adams and raised at the Charterhouse . After a year at the University of Edinburgh , he reached Calcutta in 1796. He was the private and political secretary of Governor General Hastings, whom he also accompanied in the field during the Third Marathas . In 1817 he was appointed a councilor by the Court of Directors . After Hastings' departure in January 1823, Adam became governor-general on an interim basis until he was succeeded by William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst , in August of the same year .

During his tenure, Adam curtailed the freedom of the press in British India. He expelled James Silk Buckingham , founder of the Calcutta Journal , for reporting the country critical of the government and enacted regulations that limited the newspapers' ability to criticize. Buckingham called the Privy Council and the House of Commons , among others . Adam's decision was upheld by them. Adam was the first governor-general to use government funds to provide educational opportunities for local people.

After health problems he was ordered back home and died on June 4, 1825 on the way back to Madagascar.

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personal data
SURNAME Adam, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British official and interim Governor General of Fort William
DATE OF BIRTH May 4, 1779
DATE OF DEATH June 4, 1825
Place of death off Madagascar