Under-Secretary of State for India Facts for Kids

The India Office was a special department in the British government. It was in charge of managing British rule over India (and later, Burma) from 1858 until 1948. This department had two main types of leaders who helped run things: the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and the Permanent Under-Secretary of State.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State was a political job. This person was a Member of Parliament (MP) or a Lord, and they were part of the government. They helped the main minister, the Secretary of State for India, with their duties.

The Permanent Under-Secretary of State was a civil servant. This means they were a professional government employee, not a politician. They provided expert advice and made sure the India Office ran smoothly, no matter which political party was in power.

This article lists the people who held these important roles during the time of British rule in India.

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for India (1858–1937)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for India and Burma (1937–1948)
Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for India (1858–1937)
Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for India and Burma (1937–1948)
See also

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for India (1858–1937)

This section lists the politicians who served as Parliamentary Under-Secretaries for India. They helped manage the British government's affairs in India from 1858 until 1937.

Name	Time in Office
Henry Baillie	1858	1859
Hon. Thomas Baring	1859	1861
The Earl de Grey	1861	1861
Hon. Thomas Baring	1861	1864
The Lord Wodehouse	1864	1864
The Lord Dufferin and Clandeboye	1864	1866
James Stansfeld	1866	1866
Sir James Fergusson, Bt	1866	1867
The Lord Clinton	1867	1868
M. E. Grant Duff	1868	1874
Lord George Hamilton	1874	1878
Hon. Edward Stanhope	1878	1880
The Marquess of Lansdowne	1880	1880
Viscount Enfield	1880	1883
John Kynaston Cross	1883	1885
The Lord Harris	1885	1886
Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, Bt	1886	1886
Stafford Howard	1886	1886
Sir John Eldon Gorst	1886	1891
Hon. George Curzon	1891	1892
George W. E. Russell	1892	1894
The Lord Reay	1894	1895
The Earl of Onslow	1895	1900
The Earl of Hardwicke	1900	1902
Earl Percy	1902	1904
Vacant	1904	1904
The Marquess of Bath	1904	1905
John Ellis	1905	1907
Charles Hobhouse	1907	1908
Thomas Buchanan	1908	1909
The Master of Elibank	1909	1910
Hon. Edwin Samuel Montagu	1910	1914
Charles Henry Roberts	1914	1915
The Lord Islington	1915	1919
The Lord Sinha	1919	1920
The Earl of Lytton	1920	1922
The Earl Winterton	1922	1924
Robert Richards	1924	1924
The Earl Winterton	1924	1929
Drummond Shiels	1929	1929
The Earl Russell	1929	1931
The Lord Snell	1931	1931
Vacant	1931	1931
The Marquess of Lothian	1931	1932
Rab Butler	1932	1937

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for India and Burma (1937–1948)

From 1937, the role expanded to cover both India and Burma. These individuals served until 1948, when British rule in India ended.

Name	Time in Office		Political Party
Lord Stanley MP for Fylde	1937	1938	Conservative
Anthony Muirhead MP for Wells	1938	1939†	Conservative
Hugh O'Neill MP for Antrim	1939	1940	Ulster Unionist
The Duke of Devonshire	1940	1943	Conservative
The Earl of Munster	1943	1944	Conservative
The Earl of Listowel	1944	1945	Labour
The Earl of Scarbrough	1945	1945	Conservative
Arthur Henderson MP for Kingswinford	1945	1947	Labour

Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for India (1858–1937)

These civil servants provided continuous support and expertise to the India Office. They were not politicians but career government officials.

Name	Time in Office
Sir George Russell Clerk	1858	1860
Herman Merivale	1860	1874
Sir Louis Mallet	1874	1883
Sir Arthur Godley	1883	1909
Sir Richmond Ritchie	1909	1912
Sir Thomas Holderness	1912	1920
Sir William Duke	1920	1924
Sir Arthur Hirtzel	1924	1930
Sir Findlater Stewart	1930	1937

Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for India and Burma (1937–1948)

After 1937, these permanent officials also oversaw matters for both India and Burma until the end of British rule.

Portrait	Name Titles	Time in Office
	Sir Findlater Stewart GCIE KCB CSI	1937	1941
	Sir David Monteath KCB KCMG CVO OBE	1941	1948

History of English and British government departments with responsibility for foreign affairs
and those with responsibility for the colonies, dominions and the Commonwealth
Northern Department 1660–1782 Secretaries Undersecretaries		Foreign Office 1782–1968 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries							Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1968–2020 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office since 2020 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries
Southern Department 1660–1768 Secretaries Undersecretaries	Colonial Office 1768–1782 Secretaries Undersecretaries	Home Office 1782–1794 Secretaries Undersecretaries	War Office 1794–1801 Secretaries Undersecretaries	War and Colonial Office 1801–1854 Secretaries Undersecretaries	Colonial Office 1854–1925 Secretaries Undersecretaries	Colonial Office 1925–1966 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries		Commonwealth Office 1966–1968 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries
	Southern Department 1768–1782 Secretaries Undersecretaries					Dominions Office 1925–1947 Secretaries Undersecretaries	Commonwealth Relations Office 1947–1966 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries
.					India Office 1858–1937 Secretaries Undersecretaries	India Office and Burma Office 1937–1947 Secretaries Undersecretaries

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Under-Secretary of State for India facts for kids

Contents

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for India (1858–1937)

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for India and Burma (1937–1948)

Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for India (1858–1937)

Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for India and Burma (1937–1948)

See also