The founder of the La Martiniere schools major-general Claude Martin died on this day. He was born in Lyon, France. He was an officer in the French army in India and later the British army in India. He rose to the position of major-general in the British army.
He built a massive fortune in the service of Nawab Asaf-Ud-Dowlah of Awadh. He was a collector, a connoisseur of art, a writer and an architect. He spent the last years of his life in Lucknow, where, among other things, he designed many buildings remarkable for their architecture.
From a humble background himself, who was almost entirely self-educated, he valued formal education. He set aside a substantial part of his estate for charity and to start educational institutions in Calcutta, Lucknow and Lyon.
The two La Martiniere schools for boys and girls in the city are among the most reputable in Calcutta and the country. The schools celebrate his death anniversary as Founder’s Day.