Sir Edward Albert Gait (1863–1950) was an administrator in the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million ...

who rose to serve as

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of the

Bihar and Orissa Province Bihar and Orissa was a province of British India, which included the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha. The territories were conquered by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were governed by the then Indian Ci ...

in the

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. He held that office for the years 1915–1920, with a brief absence during April–July 1918 when

Edward Vere Levinge Sir Edward Vere Levinge (1867–1954) was an administrator in the Indian Civil Service who rose to serve as acting Lieutenant-Governor of the British Raj Province known as Bihar and Orissa. He held that office for the months of April–July 1918, ...

officially acted in the position. Gait graduated from

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

, London. He sat the

competitive examination An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verba ...

for the Indian Civil Service in 1882 and was subsequently appointed, arriving in India on 11 December of that year. He served as assistant commissioner in

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 ...

, and then from 1890 as provincial superintendent for the 1891 census in that region. He wrote the official report for that region's census, which formed a part of the national census undertaken in that year. After various other roles in the administration, Gait was appointed as a magistrate and

District collector A District Collector-cum-District Magistrate (also known as Deputy Commissioner in some states) is an All India Service officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre who is responsible for ''land revenue collection'', ''canal reven ...

in November 1897. In April 1900 he became superintendent of census operations in

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

, where he worked with

Herbert Hope Risley Sir Herbert Hope Risley (4 January 1851 – 30 September 1911) was a British ethnographer and colonial administrator, a member of the Indian Civil Service who conducted extensive studies on the tribes and castes of the Bengal Presidency. ...

, the Census Commissioner, to produce the official report of the 1901

Census of India The decennial Census of India has been conducted 16 times, as of 2021. While it has been undertaken every 10 years, beginning in 1872 under British Viceroy Lord Mayo, the first complete census was taken in 1881. Post 1949, it has been conducted by ...

. He was himself Census Commissioner from 1902 until after the census of 1911. Official recognition of his work came with the award of

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

(CIE) in 1907. In 1912 he became a Companion of the Star of India (CSI), and in 1915 he was raised to the rank of Knight Commander (KCSI) in the same Order. In 1917 he was appointed a

Knight of Grace A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

of The Grand Priory of the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in England. He was Lt.-Governor of Bihar and Orissa during 1915 and 1920. He also founded Bihar and Orissa Research Society in 1915 which was devoted to explore more about Indology and Anthropology. The society published a journal with title of " ''Journal of Bihar and Orissa Research Society".'' Lt. Gait acted as president of the society from 1915 to 1920 while he was taking his office in Patna. Amrendra Thakur has said that with the publication of ''A History of Assam'' "historical research in North East India entered into a new age. Truly speaking Gait's was the first full-length history of the province. The book is freely used by scholars as an authentic source material."

Publications

Aside from co-editing the official Reports of the 1901 census of India, Gait wrote other publications. These include: * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gait, Edward Albert 1863 births 1950 deaths Indian Civil Service (British India) officers Bengal Presidency British historians Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Alumni of University College London

Publications

See also

References