Sir Frederick Chalmers Bourne, KCSI, CIE (12 August 1891 – 3 November 1977) was an English
colonial administrator
Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
who served in
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 ...
until 1947 and then in the new
Dominion of Pakistan
Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of ...
until 1950.
Early life
Frederick Chalmers Bourne was born on 12 August 1891. He studied in Rugby and finished his master's degree in
Christ Church, Oxford.
His father was
Frederick Samuel Augustus Bourne
Sir Frederick Samuel August Bourne (1854–1940) was a British judge, diplomat and botanist who served in China. His last positions before retirement were concurrently as Assistant Judge of the British Supreme Court for China and Judge of th ...
, a British consular official in China and later Judge of the
British Supreme Court for China and Japan.
Career
Bourne was commissioned into the British Army in 1910, and served in the
Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army based in the county of Kent in existence from 1881 to 1961. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, originally as the Queen' ...
. In 1920 he joined 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 p ...
and held several prominent positions in the administrations of
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
and the
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
between 1937 and 1945. He was appointed acting
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of the
Central Provinces and Berar from May to October 1945, and as the acting
Governor of Assam
This is a list of governors of Assam, and other offices of similar scope, from the start of British occupation of the area in 1824 during the First Anglo-Burmese War.
The Governor of Assam is a nominal head and representative of the President ...
in 1946. He became the last Governor of the Central Provinces and Berar in 1946, serving until
independence of India on 15 August 1947. Bourne then became the first Governor of Pakistan's
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
, and served until 5 April 1950.
References
External links
Sir Frederick Chalmers Bourneat the
National Portrait Gallery,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
Frederick Chalmers Bournein the
National Archives
, -
1891 births
1977 deaths
Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India
People from Kent
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Governors of East Pakistan
British expatriates in Pakistan
Indian Civil Service (British India) officers
Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire
British people in colonial India
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