John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune (1801–1851) was an educator, mathematician and polyglot who is known for his contributions in promoting women's education in India. He was the founder of
Calcutta Female School (now known as Bethune College) in Calcutta, which is considered the oldest women's college in Asia. He started his professional life as a lawyer in England and came to India by virtue of his appointment as a law member of the Governor General's Council of Ministers.
His efforts to further women's education were actively supported by
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE ( bn, ঈশ্বর চন্দ্র বিদ্যাসাগর; 26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891), born Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay, was an Indian educator and social reformer of the nineteenth century ...
and other members of the
Bengali Renaissance.
Early life
Bethune was born in
Ealing, England, the elder son of
John Drinkwater Bethune
Colonel John Drinkwater Bethune (1762–1844), born John Drinkwater, was an English army officer, administrator and military historian, known for his account of the Great Siege of Gibraltar that came out in 1785.
Origins
Born at Latchford on 9 ...
. He studied in
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
, Cambridge after which he received employment as the Counsel of the Home Office. He drafted many important reforms in this position, including the Municipal Reform Act, the Tithe Commutation Act and the County Courts Act. In 1848, he was appointed as a member of the
Supreme Council of India and subsequently became the President of the Council of Education.
Founding the Bethune College
Supported by Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee,
Ramgopal Ghosh
Ramgopal Ghosh (January 15, 1815 - 25 January 1868) was a leader of the Young Bengal Group, a successful businessman, orator and social reformer. He is called the 'Demosthenes of India'.Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/ ...
,
Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE ( bn, ঈশ্বর চন্দ্র বিদ্যাসাগর; 26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891), born Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay, was an Indian educator and social reformer of the nineteenth century ...
, and Madan Mohan Tarkalankar, Bethune founded the Calcutta Female School in 1849. The school started in Mukherjee's home in
Baitakkhana (now known as Bowbazar), with 21 girls enrolled.
The following year, enrollment rose to 80.
In November, on a plot on the west side of Cornwallis Square, the cornerstone for a permanent school building was laid. The name "Hindu Female School" was inscribed on the copper-plate placed in the stone and on the ceremonial silver trowel made for the occasion.
Support for the school however waned after Bethune's death in August 1851.
The government took it over in 1856, renaming it Bethune School after its founder in 1862–63.
In 1879, it was developed into Bethune College, the first women's college in India.
Death and burial
John Elliot Bethune died in
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
, West Bengal, India, in 1851. He was buried in
Lower Circular Road Cemetery.
[Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 19 March 2020), memorial page for John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune (1801–12 Aug 1851), Find A Grave Memorial no. 105604985, citing Lower Circular Road Cemetery, Calcutta, West Bengal, India; Maintained by Chris Nelson (contributor 46617359)]
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bethune, John Elliot Drinkwater
1801 births
1851 deaths
English educators
Women's education in India
Founders of Indian schools and colleges
Scholars from Kolkata
Educators from West Bengal
Committee members of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge