General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Sir Henry Dermot Daly (25 October 1823 – 21 July 1895) was a senior British Indian Army officer, colonial administrator,

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a politic ...

politician and founder of

Daly College The Daly College is a co-educational residential and day boarding school located in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. It was founded by Sir Henry Daly of the British Indian Army during India's colonial British Raj, following an English public sch ...

Biography

Daly was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Dermot Daly, an officer in the 4th Light Dragoons, and his wife, Mary McIntosh. He joined the Bombay Infantry as an officer cadet in 1840. Along with several similarly aged young officers, such as

Herbert Edwardes Major-General Sir Herbert Benjamin Edwardes DCL (12 November 1819 – 23 December 1868) was a British administrator, soldier, and statesman active in the Punjab region of British India. He is best known as the "Hero of Multan" for his pivotal ...

and

Patrick Alexander Vans Agnew Patrick Alexander Vans Agnew (1822–1848) was a British civil servant of the East India Company, whose murder during the Siege of Multan by the retainers of Dewan Mulraj led to the Second Sikh War and to the British annexation of the Punjab regio ...

, Daly was sent to "advise" the Sikhs as part of

Henry Lawrence's "Young Men" Henry Lawrence's "Young Men", also known as "the Paladins of the Punjaub", were a group of East India Company officers sent to act as "advisers" to the Sikhs after the First Sikh War in 1846. In the words of George Lawrence, his duties were "to a ...

. He served in the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently ...

and was present at the

Siege of Multan The siege of Multan began on 19 April 1848 and lasted until 22 January 1849, and saw fighting around Multan (in present-day Pakistan) between the British East India Company and the Sikh Empire. It began with a rebellion against a ruler imposed ...

. On 18 May 1849, he raised the 1st Punjab Irregular Cavalry, which subsequently became the 21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Daly's Horse). Daly was promoted to the rank of captain in 1854 and led his regiment during the Indian Mutiny. The regiment operated in North India and took part in the

Siege of Delhi The siege of Delhi was one of the decisive conflicts of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The rebellion against the authority of the East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but essentially it was sparked by the mass up ...

and the

Relief of Lucknow The siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defence of the British The Residency, Lucknow, Residency within the city of Lucknow from rebel Sepoy, sepoys (Indian soldiers in the East India Company, British East India Company's Army) during the Indian ...

. He went on the command the Brigade of Hodson's Horse during the war. Daly was twice recommended for the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

as a result of his conduct. He subsequently served in the Bombay Staff Corps. Daly held the position of

Governor General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

Agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

, in Central India between 1870 and 1881, and was promoted to lieutenant-general in 1877. He became a Knight Commander of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

on 29 May 1875, and a Knight Grand Cross in the same order on 25 May 1889. Before leaving India, Daly had taken a great interest in education and had begun a

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...

which was later named after him. In the General Election of 1886, Daly stood as the

candidate in Dundee. He was beaten by the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

candidate. He also unsuccessfully contested the seat for the Liberal Unionists in the 1888 Dundee by-election. Daly married, firstly, Susan, the daughter of Edward Kirkpatrick, on 21 October 1852. Together they had eight children; two of their sons were Sir Hugh Daly and Arthur Daly. He married, secondly, Charlotte, daughter of James Coape, in 1882, and they had one son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daly, Henry 1823 births 1895 deaths British Indian Army officers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Bombay Staff Corps officers British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 People from Ryde Founders of educational institutions Administrators in British India 19th-century British politicians British educational theorists British Indian Army generals Liberal Unionist Party parliamentary candidates