Womesh Chandra Bannerjee (or Umesh Chandra Banerjee by current English orthography of

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

names; 29 December 1844 – 21 July 1906) was an Indian barrister. He was a co-founder and the first president of

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

. Born on 1844 at

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 ...

, he studied at the Oriental Seminary and the

Hindu School Hindu School is a state government-administered school in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest modern educational institution in Asia (then known as ''Hindu College''). The institution played a key role during Bengal R ...

. His career began in 1862 when he joined the firm of W. P. Gillanders, attorneys of the

Supreme Court, as a clerk where he acquired a knowledge of law. In 1864 he was sent to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

where he joined the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

and was called to the Bar in June 1867. He returned to Calcutta in 1868 and within a few years he became the most sought after barrister in the High Court. He was the first Indian to act as a Standing Counsel, in which capacity he officiated four times 1882, 1884, 1886-87. In 1883 he defended

Surendranath Banerjee Sir Surendranath Banerjee often known as Rashtraguru ( bn, Rāṣṭraguru, Teacher of the Nation; 10 November 18486 August 1925) was Indian nationalist leader during the British Rule. He founded a nationalist organization called the Indian Nat ...

in contempt of court case against him in the Calcutta High Court. He was the fellow of

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...

and was the president of its law faculty. He retired from the Calcutta bar in 1901. He presided over the first session of the

held at Bombay in 1885 from 28 to 31 December. In the 1886 session held at Calcutta, he proposed the formation of standing committees of the Congress in each province for the better co-ordination of its work and it was on this occasion that he advocated that the Congress should confine its activities to political matters only. He was the president of the

again in the 1892 session in Allahabad where he denounced the position that India had to prove for worthiness of political freedom. He moved to Britain and practiced before the Privy Council. He financed the British Committee of Congress and its journals in London. In 1865 Dadabhai Naoroji founded the London Indian society and Bonnerjee was made its general secretary. When Bonnerjee became the Congress president Naoroji along with him, Eardley Norton and William Digby opened The Congress Political Agency, a branch of Congress in London. He unsuccessfully contested the 1892 United Kingdom general election as a Liberal party candidate for the Barrow and Furness seat. In 1893, Naoroji, Bonnerjee and

Badruddin Tyabji Badruddin Tyabji (10 October 1844 – 19 August 1906) was an Indian lawyer, activist and politician during British Raj. Tyabji was the first Indian to practice as a barrister of the High Court of Bombay who served as the third President ...

founded the Indian Parliamentary Committee in England.

Birth and Ancestry

Bonnerjee was born on 2 December 1844 at

(now

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

), in the present-day state of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

. He belonged to a very respectable '' Rarhi''

Kulin Brahmin Kulin Brahmins are the Bengali Brahmins belonging to Hindu religion. They trace their ancestry to five families of Kannauj who migrated to Bengal. History In the 11th century AD, after the decline of the Pala dynasty, a Hindu king, Adi Sura brou ...

family who hailed from Baganda, located west of the town of Howrah in present-day state of

. His grandfather ''Pitambur Bonnerjee'' first migrated to

(now

) and settled there. From his mother's side, ''Womesh Chandra'' was descended from the renowned Sanskrit scholar and philosopher Pundit '' Juggonath Turkopunchanun'' of Tribeni, Hooghly District in present-day

Early days

Bonnerjee studied at the Oriental Seminary and the

. In 1859, he married Hemangini Motilal. His career began in 1862 when he joined the firm of W. P. Gillanders, attorneys of the

Supreme Court, as a clerk. In this post he acquired a good knowledge of law which greatly helped him in his later career. In 1864 he was sent to

through a scholarship from Mr. R. J. Jijibhai of

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

where he joined the

and was called to the Bar in June 1867. On his return to Calcutta in 1868, he found a patron in Sir Charles Paul,

Barrister-at-Law A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and g ...

of the Calcutta High Court. Another barrister, J. P. Kennedy, also greatly helped him to establish his reputation as a lawyer. Within a few years he became the most sought after barrister in the High Court. He was the first Indian to act as a Standing Counsel, in which capacity he officiated four times 1882, 1884, 1886-87. In 1883 he defended

in the famous contempt of court case against him in the Calcutta High Court. He was the fellow of

and was the president of its law faculty and often represented it in the legislative council. He retired from the Calcutta bar in 1901.

As a president of Indian National Congress

He presided over the first session of the

held at Bombay in 1885 from 28 to 31 December and attended by 72 members. In the 1886 session held at Calcutta, under the presidency of Dadabhai Naoroji, he proposed the formation of standing committees of the Congress in each province for the better co-ordination of its work and it was on this occasion that he advocated that the Congress should confine its activities to political matters only, leaving the question of social reforms to other organizations. He was the president of the

again in the 1892 session in Allahabad where he denounced the position that India had to prove for worthiness of political freedom. He moved to Britain and practiced before the Privy Council. He financed the British Committee of Congress and its journals in London. In 1865 Dadabhai Naoroji founded the London Indian society and Bonnerjee was made its general secretary. In December 1866, Naoroji dissolved the society and formed East Indian Association. When Bonnerjee became the Congress president Naoroji along with him, Eardley Norton and William Digby opened The Congress Political Agency, a branch of Congress in London. He lived in Croydon and named his residence after his birthplace Khidirpur. The Liberal party made him his candidate for the Barrow and Furness seat in

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies fo ...

. Bonnerjee was defeated by Charles Cayzer, a Tory candidate. In the same elections Naoroji won the Finsbury Central constituency and defeated his nearest rival by a narrow margin of only 5 votes. Naoroji became the first Indian member of the British Parliament. In 1893, Naoriji, Bonnerjee and

founded the Indian Parliamentary Committee in England.

Personal life

A daughter, Janaki Majumdar, studied natural science, chemistry, zoology and physiology at

Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millice ...

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

while another daughter, Susila Anita Bonnerjee was a doctor, teacher, and suffragette.

References

External links

Indian National Congress Website

W.C. Bonnerjee : a sketch of his life and career
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnerjee, Womesh 1844 births 1906 deaths Bengali activists Bengali lawyers Presidents of the Indian National Congress Indian barristers Members of the Middle Temple Politicians from Kolkata Indian independence activists from West Bengal Oriental Seminary alumni Hindu School, Kolkata alumni Indian National Congress politicians from West Bengal 19th-century Indian lawyers People from Kolkata 19th-century Indian politicians 20th-century Indian politicians 20th-century Indian lawyers