Under-Secretary of State for India

This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1858 and 1937 for India(and Burma by extension), and for India and Burma from 1937 to 1948.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State was a ministerial position and the Permanent Under-Secretary of State was a civil service position.

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for India, 1858–1937 edit

Portrait Name Term of office
  Henry Baillie 1858 1859
  Hon. Thomas Baring 1859 1861
  The Earl de Grey 1861 1861
  Hon. Thomas Baring 1861 1864
  The Lord Wodehouse 1864 1864
  The Lord Dufferin and Clandeboye 1864 1866
  James Stansfeld 1866 1866
  Sir James Fergusson, Bt 1866 1867
  The Lord Clinton 1867 1868
  M. E. Grant Duff 1868 1874
  Lord George Hamilton 1874 1878
  Hon. Edward Stanhope 1878 1880
  The Marquess of Lansdowne 1880 1880
  Viscount Enfield 1880 1883
  John Kynaston Cross 1883 1885
  The Lord Harris 1885 1886
  Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, Bt 1886 1886
  Stafford Howard 1886 1886
  Sir John Eldon Gorst 1886 1891
  Hon. George Curzon 1891 1892
  George W. E. Russell 1892 1894
  The Lord Reay 1894 1895
  The Earl of Onslow 1895 1900
  The Earl of Hardwicke 1900 1902
  Earl Percy 1902 1904
  Vacant 1904 1904
  The Marquess of Bath 1904 1905
  John Ellis 1905 1907
  Charles Hobhouse 1907 1908
  Thomas Buchanan 1908 1909
  The Master of Elibank 1909 1910
  Hon. Edwin Samuel Montagu 1910 1914
  Charles Henry Roberts 1914 1915
  The Lord Islington 1915 1919
  The Lord Sinha 1919 1920
  The Earl of Lytton 1920 1922
  The Earl Winterton 1922 1924
  Robert Richards 1924 1924
  The Earl Winterton 1924 1929
Drummond Shiels 1929 1929
The Earl Russell 1929 1931
  The Lord Snell 1931 1931
  Vacant 1931 1931
The Marquess of Lothian 1931 1932
  Rab Butler 1932 1937

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for India and Burma, 1937–1948 edit

Portrait Name Term of office Political party
Lord Stanley
MP for Fylde
1937 1938 Conservative
  Anthony Muirhead
MP for Wells
1938 1939† Conservative
  Hugh O'Neill
MP for Antrim
1939 1940 Ulster Unionist
The Duke of Devonshire 1940 1943 Conservative
  The Earl of Munster 1943 1944 Conservative
The Earl of Listowel 1944 1945 Labour
The Earl of Scarbrough 1945 1945 Conservative
Arthur Henderson
MP for Kingswinford
1945 1947 Labour

Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for India, 1858–1937 edit

Portrait Name Term of office
  Sir George Russell Clerk 1858 1860
  Herman Merivale 1860 1874
  Sir Louis Mallet 1874 1883
  Sir Arthur Godley 1883 1909
  Sir Richmond Ritchie 1909 1912
  Sir Thomas Holderness 1912 1920
  Sir William Duke 1920 1924
  Sir Arthur Hirtzel 1924 1930
  Sir Findlater Stewart 1930 1937

Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for India and Burma, 1937–1948 edit

Portrait Name
Honorifics
Term of office
  Sir Findlater Stewart
GCIE KCB CSI
1937 1941
  Sir David Monteath
KCB KCMG CVO OBE
1941 1948

See also edit


History of English and British government departments with responsibility for foreign affairs and those with responsibility for the colonies, dominions and the Commonwealth
Northern Department
1660–1782
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Southern Department
1660–1768
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Southern Department
1768–1782
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1782: diplomatic responsibilities transferred to new Foreign Office
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1768–1782
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Foreign Office
1782–1968
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Home Office
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1794–1801
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War and Colonial Office
1801–1854
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India Office
1858–1937
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Colonial Office
1925–1966
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Dominions Office
1925–1947
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India Office and Burma Office
1937–1947
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1947–1966
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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Since 2020
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