Sir James Thompson (6 July 184828 December 1929) was a British civil servant and administrator who acted as the
governor of Madras
This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947.
English Agents
In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized be ...
from 30 April 1904 to 13 December 1904.
Early life and education
James Thompson was born in 1848 to John Thomson in
Cults
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
,
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...
. He had his schooling at Grammar school and graduated from the
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...
. He completed his master's degree in 1868 and qualified for 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 ...
in 1869.
Service in India
Thompson arrived in India in 1871 and served as Assistant Collector in the
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...
from 1872 to 1882, as Head Assistant Collector from 1882 to 1885 as Sub-Collector from 1885 to 1889 and Collector from 1889 to 1895. In 1895, Thompson was appointed Resident for the
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
and Cochin states and served from 1895 to 1897 when he was appointed to the Board of Revenue for the Madras Presidency.
Thompson was nominated to the
Madras Legislative Council
Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was the upper house of the former bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initia ...
in 1898 and served as a member of the Executive Council of the Governor of Madras from 1901 to 1906. Thomson acted as the Governor of Madras from 30 April 1904 to 13 December 1904 in the absence of
Oliver Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill
Arthur Oliver Villiers Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill (19 February 1869 – 7 July 1935) was a British peer, rower, and civil servant. He served as Governor of Madras from October 1900 to February 1906, and as acting Viceroy of India from April t ...
who was selected to officiate temporarily as the
Viceroy 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 ...
. In 1908, Thompson was nominated to the council of the
Secretary of State for India
His (or Her) Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, known for short as the India Secretary or the Indian Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of th ...
.
Honours
Thompson was made a
Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:
# Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
# Knight Commander ( KCSI)
# Companion ( CSI)
No appointments ...
in the year 1904.
Family
Thompson married Charlotte Georgina Grant, the eldest daughter of William White Grant in 1873. He married secondly Margaret Ellen Todhunter, the daughter of Sir
Charles Todhunter
Sir Charles George Todhunter (16 February 1869 – 1 March 1949) was a British civil servant in British India.
Todhunter was of New Zealand background and educated in England at Aldenham School and King's College, Cambridge. He joined the India ...
, in 1898.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, James
1848 births
1929 deaths
Indian Civil Service (British India) officers
Alumni of the University of Aberdeen
Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Governors of Madras
People from Aberdeenshire