Sir John Anderson Thorne KCIE, CSI (17 October 1888 – 29 April 1964) was a senior civil servant in 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 ...

who served as the Secretary of the Home Department and later as Home Member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council.

Early life

John Anderson Thorne was born in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and educated at

Blundell's School Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school in the English public school tradition, located in Tiverton, Devon. It was founded in 1604 under the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the tim ...

in Tiverton. He passed the

examinations in 1911 and spent his probation at

Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Indian Civil Service

Thorne spent 22 years in various posts 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 ...

and in 1920 was selected to be Secretary of the Board of Revenue, holding this position for two years. After time in district work he returned to the board in 1931 and in 1935 officiated as joint secretary to the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

, Home Department, and shortly thereafter took charge of the secretaryship until 1938. In 1938 Thorne was selected to be Secretary to the Governor-General (Public) and on two occasions he acted for brief periods as a temporary member of the Governor-General’s Council, and in 1945 became Home Member, a position he held until his retirement in 1946.

Later life

On the expiry of his term, Thorne returned to England and farmed at

Sedlescombe Sedlescombe is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. The village is on the B2244 road, about north of Hastings. The parish includes the hamlet of Kent Street, which is on the A21 road. The parish is in th ...

Honours

Thorne was made a

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

in the

1931 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1931 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King. They ...

Companion 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

1938 New Year Honours The 1938 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 1 January 1938.United Kingdom and Britis ...

and

Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

in the

1942 New Year Honours The 1942 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 1941.United Kingdom and Britis ...

References

*Obituary of Sir John Thorne, The Times, 30 April 1964 (pg. 18; Issue 55999; col C) {{DEFAULTSORT:Thorne, John 1888 births 1964 deaths People educated at Blundell's School Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Indian Civil Service (British India) officers Members of the Council of the Governor General of India Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Order of the Star of India People from Sedlescombe