Sir Joseph Bampfylde Fuller (20 March 1854 – 29 November 1935) was a British inventor, writer and first Lieutenant Governor of the new province of

Eastern Bengal and Assam Eastern Bengal and Assam was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India between 1905 and 1912. Headquartered in the city of Dacca, it covered territories in what are now Bangladesh, Northeast India and Northern West Bengal. Hist ...

, knighted for his service in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Early life and career

Fuller studied at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

. In 1885, he began his Indian Civil Service career as the Commissioner of Settlements and Agriculture of

Central Provinces The Central Provinces was a province of British India. It comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur. ...

. He became an Additional member of the Viceroy's Council in 1899. He served as Secretary to

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

during the period 1901–02. He then served as Chief Commissioner of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

during 1902–05. Fuller held office as Lieutenant Governor of Eastern Bengal and Assam from 16 October 1905 until he resigned on 20 August 1906 to

Lord Minto Earl of Minto, in the County of Roxburgh, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1813 for Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Baron Minto. The current earl is Gilbert Timothy George Lariston Elliot-Murray-Kynynm ...

over the (British) Government of India's refusal to support reprisals against school agitators in

Sirajganj Sirajganj ( bn, সিরাজগঞ্জ) is a city in north-western Bangladesh on the right bank of the Jamuna River. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirajganj District, and with a population of 167,200 is the fourteenth most populo ...

. In 1907, an abortive attempt was made by Yugantar Group on his life which he escaped unharmed. Fuller initiated the building of the Governor's residence in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

, which became Old High Court Building, Dhaka. "Fuller Road", an important road at the heart of the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

is named after him. Fuller invented an anti-gas alarm widely used during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Published books

The empire of India (1913) (14777519111)

* ''Studies of Indian Life and Sentiment'' (1910) * ''The Empire of India'' (1913) * ''Life and Human Nature'' (1914) * ''The Science of Ourselves'' (1921) * ''Causes and Consequences'' (1923) * ''The Law Within'' (1926) * ''Etheric Energies'' (1928) * ''Some Personal Experiences'' (1930) * ''The Tyranny of the Mind'' (1935)

Legacy

Fuller's chikila ('' Chikila fulleri''), a

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric eviden ...

amphibian, is named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Bampfylde 1854 births 1935 deaths People educated at Marlborough College British inventors Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Indian Civil Service (British India) officers