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.". O ...
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 political ...
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 scho ...
.
Biography
Daly was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Dermot Daly, an officer in the
4th Light Dragoons
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* Fourth (album), ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* The Fourth (1972 film) ...
, 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 reg ...
, 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
. Daly was promoted to the rank of captain in 1854 and led his regiment during the
Indian Mutiny
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
. 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 u ...
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 19 ...
's
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 insuran ...
, in
Central India
Central India is a loosely defined geographical region of India. There is no clear official definition and various ones may be used. One common definition consists of the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which are included in alm ...
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 on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as ...
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 offering ...
in
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
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 political ...
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 l ...
candidate. He also unsuccessfully contested the seat for the Liberal Unionists in the
1888 Dundee by-election
The 1888 Dundee by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 16 February 1888 to elect one of the two Members of Parliament (MPs) for the British House of Commons constituency of Dundee.
Background
The election was held following the resig ...
.
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