LAWRENCE, JOHN

Sir John Lawrence (4.3.1811 – 26.6.1879) was born at Richmond (Yorkshire, England). He was the younger brother of Henry M. Lawrence. In 1830, he joined Civil Services and reached Calcutta. Later, he became a magistrate of Delhi. On March 1, 1846 he became Commissioner of the territory of Bist-Doab area, confiscated from Lahore Darbar. On March 29, 1849, he was appointed as a member (his brother Henry Lawrence was the Chairman) of the Administrative Board for the Punjab. In February 1853, he became the Chief Commissioner of the British Punjab. His first job was to disband the Sikh army of more than 90,000 soldiers. On February 25, 1859, he retired from service and returned to England. In 1864, he was appointed as the Governor General of India. He remained in this office till 1869. He died in England, in 1879 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)