Sir Fazal Ibrahim Rahimtoola (1895 – 1977) was an Indian politician. He served as

Sheriff of Bombay The Sheriff of Bombay is an apolitical titular position of authority bestowed for one year on a prominent citizen of Bombay. The Sheriff is an officer of the High Court and the nominal Head of the High Court Department which carries out the or ...

and was a member of

Bombay Legislative Council Bombay Legislative Council was the legislature of the Bombay Province and later the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Bombay Province in British India and the Indian state of Bombay. History The Indian Councils Act 1861 set up the Bom ...

and Central Legislative Assembly during the British Raj.

Background and early life

Rahimtoola was born in Bombay, the son of Ibrahim Rahimtoola, a prominent local politician. He was educated first at St. Xavier’s School, and later gained his Bachelor of Arts from the

St. Xavier's College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

. After this he proceeded to Poona Law College for his Bachelor of Laws.

Career

After graduating he initially joined the family business but later started taking part in local politics. Rahimtoola became member of the

by the 1920s followed by the

Bombay Legislative Assembly Bombay Legislative Assembly came into existence in 1937, as the legislature of Bombay Presidency, a province of British India. It functioned until 1960, when separate states of Maharashtra and Gujarat were formed. History The first session of thi ...

with which he was closely attached till after independence. He was also member of the Central Legislative Assembly from 1925 till the early 1930s. In December 1928, Rahimtoola became Secretary of the All-India Muslim League Conference held in Delhi under the Presidentship of Sir Aga Khan III. Fazal Rahimtoola remained

during the same period. He remained President of the Indian tariff Board in 1935. During the Second World War, Rahimtoola served as Director of the National War Front and National Food Council. In the 1960s, he served as president of the , St. Xavier's College Association, in Bombay. He died in Bombay in 1977.

Business affairs

On the business front Sir Fazal served as director on companies including the

auto sector The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue (from 16 % such ...

, cotton, shipping among others. He was a permanent Director of Tata Iron and Steel and

Tata power Tata Power Company Limited is an Indian electric utility company based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India and is part of the Tata Group. The core business of the company is to generate, transmit and distribute electricity. With an installed electri ...

Personal life

He was married to Zainab Fazalbhoy and had three sons and five daughters from marriage. His younger brother Habib Rahimtoola was active in the Pakistan movement and is regarded as one of the founders of Pakistan. His uncle Jafar Rahimtoola and a cousin

Hoosenaly Rahimtoola Hoosenally Rahimtoola was a Legislator of the Bombay Presidency. He remained Mayor of Bombay from 1934–35 and was Minister in the Provincial Government briefly in 1937. Rahimtoola was also President of the Bombay Legislative Council during 19 ...

both served as

Mayor of Bombay The Mayor of Mumbai is the elected chief of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. The mayor is the first citizen of the city. The role is largely ceremonial as the real powers are vested in the Municipal Commissioner. The Mayor plays a d ...

Honours

He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in the

1939 New Year Honours The 1939 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 30 December 1938.United Kingdom and Britis ...

list, and was knighted in the

1946 Birthday Honours The 1946 King's Birthday Honours, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 13 June 1946 for the United Kingdom and British Empire. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new h ...

, thus becoming ''Sir'' Fazal Ibrahim Rahimtoola. On 20 July 1946, he was invested with his knighthood at the Viceroy's House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan) in New Delhi, by the Viceroy,

Lord Wavell Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, (5 May 1883 – 24 May 1950) was a senior officer of the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, the Bazar Valley Campaign and the First World War, during which he was wounded ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahimtoola, Fazal I 1895 births 1977 deaths Sheriffs of Mumbai 20th-century Indian politicians 20th-century Indian businesspeople Tata Group people Indian Ismailis Gujarati people Businesspeople from Mumbai St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni Indian Knights Bachelor Knights Bachelor Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire