British administrator Charles T. Metcalfe died on this day. As acting Governor-General of India, he had ushered in important reforms, including the freedom of the press.
Metcalfe was born in Calcutta. His father had been a director in the East India Company.
He was educated in England and came back to Calcutta. In 1803, he became personal secretary to the Governor-General of Bengal, Lord Wellesley.
He participated in the Third Maratha War and secured Sikh support against Napoleon. He was resident in Gwalior and Hyderabad.
Metcalfe became a member of the all-India governing supreme council in 1827 and was appointed acting Governor-General after Lord William Bentinck. The British government did not want a company official as Governor-General and appointed Lord Auckland to the post. Metcalfe went back to England after he was denied the post of Madras Governor.
Metcalfe Hall in Calcutta is named after him.
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