Warren Hastings

Warren Hastings (1732-1818), British statesman and colonial administrator, regarded as one of the founders of the British Empire in India.

The son of an Anglican clergyman, Hastings was born on December 6, 1732, in Churchill, Oxfordshire, England, and attended Westminister School in London. At the age of 18 he went to India as a clerk in the service of the English East India Company, but he soon revealed his administrative talent and was advanced through the ranks of the company, serving on administrative councils that governed the cities of Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Madras (now Chennai). By 1772 he had been appointed to the most important post in India, the governorship of Bengal. As governor Hastings instituted a series of judicial and financial reforms, including the establishment of a series of civil courts and the imposition of a uniform duty on all imports. In 1773 Parliament limited the authority of the East India Company, and the British government appointed Hastings the first governor-general of India, with a governing council of four members. Although he was blocked by the council at every turn, during his tenure Hastings was able to initiate extensive judicial and civil service reforms. From 1778 to 1782 he successfully defended the dominions of the East India Co. from attacks by the native Indian rulers, who had aligned themselves with the French. His victory secured British influence in India, but in order to defray the expenses of the war Hastings was forced to confiscate the property and financial resources of some local rulers who refused to contribute for the war expenses.

Many liberals in England feared Hastings's growing power, and in 1784 Parliament passed a bill abolishing the political autonomy of the East India Co. in India. Hastings felt he could not work under the divided authority of the company and the Crown, and he resigned as governor-general. After his return to Britain he became the victim of a long political struggle between Parliament and the East India Co. for control of the government of India. In 1788 he was brought to trial by a parliamentary group, led by his personal enemy and former colleague on the governing council, Sir Philip Francis; the two men had previously fought a duel. Hastings was charged with high crimes and misdemeanors, accusations based largely on his confiscation of property and money while in office. The trial, at which the statesman Edmund Burke delivered a celebrated oration for the prosecution, lasted seven years; in 1795 Hastings was completely exonerated, but his fortune had been depleted by the cost of his defense. Hastings spent the rest of his life in retirement in England; after 1804 he accepted a pension from the East India Co. He died in Daylesford, Worcestershire, on August 22, 1818.