Donald Friell McLeod
Encyclopedia
Sir Donald Friell McLeod CB
KCSI
(May 6, 1810 – November 28, 1872) was a Lieutenant Governor of British Punjab
(in office: 10 January 1865 – 1 June 1870). He was one of the founders of Punjab University
(the Lahore Oriental University) and is generally remembered as a philanthropic administrator and promoter of education (of both Oriental studies by Europeans, and European literature studies in India).
He worked in the Sagar and Nerbudda territories and Benares in 1831–49. He was appointed Commissioner of Jalandhar in 1849 and Judicial
Commissioner of the Punjab in 1854.
He was at Lahore
during the Indian Rebellion of 1857
and earned C.B. He was Lieutenant-Governor of the Panjab in 1865–1870, receiving K.C.S.I. in 1866. He was Chairman of the Sind, Panjab and Delhi Railway before he retired and went to London.
He had pronounced religious opinions, and was a philanthropist. Sir John Lawrence called him "cunctator".
He established the Punjab University, and won sympathy with both the local people of variety of backgrounds, and British officials. He promoted Oriental studies, and the acquisition of Western knowledge through the vernacular.
He died from the effects of an accident on the London Underground.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
KCSI
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
(May 6, 1810 – November 28, 1872) was a Lieutenant Governor of British Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
(in office: 10 January 1865 – 1 June 1870). He was one of the founders of Punjab University
University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab , colloquially known as Punjab University, is located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The University of the Punjab is the oldest and biggest University of Pakistan. The University of the Punjab was formally established with the convening of the first meeting of its...
(the Lahore Oriental University) and is generally remembered as a philanthropic administrator and promoter of education (of both Oriental studies by Europeans, and European literature studies in India).
Biography
Son of Lieutenant General Duncan McLeod, he was born in Fort William, Calcutta, and was educated at Edinburgh High School, Dulwich, Putney, and Haileybury. He returned to Bengal in 1828 to start his career.He worked in the Sagar and Nerbudda territories and Benares in 1831–49. He was appointed Commissioner of Jalandhar in 1849 and Judicial
Commissioner of the Punjab in 1854.
He was at Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
during the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
and earned C.B. He was Lieutenant-Governor of the Panjab in 1865–1870, receiving K.C.S.I. in 1866. He was Chairman of the Sind, Panjab and Delhi Railway before he retired and went to London.
He had pronounced religious opinions, and was a philanthropist. Sir John Lawrence called him "cunctator".
He established the Punjab University, and won sympathy with both the local people of variety of backgrounds, and British officials. He promoted Oriental studies, and the acquisition of Western knowledge through the vernacular.
He died from the effects of an accident on the London Underground.
Memory
- McLeod GanjMcLeod GanjMcLeod Ganj, McLeodGanj, or Mcleodganj, is a suburb of Dharamshala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It has an average elevation of 2,082 metres ....
was named after him. - McLeod Road LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
is still named after him
Literature
- Lake, Major-General Edward John. Sir Donald McLeod, C.B., K.C.S.I: A record of forty-two years' service in India. London: The Religious Tract Society, 1873.
- McLeod, Sir Donald Friell, an entry in: Charles Edward Buckland. Dictionary of Indian biography. London, 1906.