Sir Albion Rajkumar Banerjee (10 October 1871 – 25 February 1950) was an Indian civil servant and administrator who served as the Diwan of Cochin from 1907 to 1914, 21st Diwan of Mysore from 1922 to 1926, and as Prime Minister of Kashmir from 1927 to 1929.

Early life and education

Albion Rajkumar Banerjee was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

in the

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 ...

Brahmo family of Sasipada Banerji. His father was a noted social reformer and labour activist from

Baranagar Baranagar (Bengali language, Bengali: বরানগর) is a city and a municipality in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area ...

near

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

. His mother Rajkumari Banerji was one of the first upper class Indian women to visit England. The family returned to India in 1872 and he was educated at the General Assembly's Institution and graduated from the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

. Subsequently, he earned his master's degree at the

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

and joined the Indian Civil Services in 1895. He married Nalini Gupta, daughter of Sir Krishna Govinda Gupta, the 6th Indian to join the ICS, who, towards the end of his distinguished career in the civil service, went to the Secretary of State's Council in London.

Career

Magistrate

He cleared the

Imperial Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million p ...

examinations in 1894 and was appointed Assistant Collector and Magistrate in the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

Premierships

Kingdom of Cochin

Banerjee was appointed Diwan of

Cochin Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...

in May 1907 and served till 1914. He introduced ''The Cochin State Manual''.

Kingdom of Mysore

Banerjee became a minister (councillor as they were known) in Diwan Sir M. Visvesvaraya's cabinet in 1914. After the resignation of Visvesvaraya as Diwan, Banerjee became the First Councillor in Diwan Sir M. Kantaraj Urs's cabinet. Banerjee would have left

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

service much earlier but ended up as the Diwan of Mysore since Urs resigned owing to ill health. He served as Diwan from 1922 to 1926. In 1923, he sought the help of Brajendranath Seal to create a constitution for the Kingdom of Mysore. He signed the 1924 Cauvery accord with the

Kingdom of Kashmir

Banerjee was appointed the first and only prime minister of

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

in 1927 to

Maharaja Hari Singh Hari Singh Bahadur (September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir of the Dogra dynasty. Hari Singh was the son of Amar Singh and Bhotiali Chib. In 1923, following his uncle's dea ...

. He resigned in 1929 over differences with maharaja on the grounds of his lavish lifestyle sustained by a poor population. His wrote:

Publications

*Indian Affairs (a quarterly journal published from London). * Indian Tangle (Hutchinson—London) *Indian Path-Finder (Kemp Hall Press—Oxford) *Rhythm Of Living (Ryder & Co -London) *Looking Ahead in Wartime (Harmony Press-London) * What is Wrong with India (Kitabistan—Allahabad) * Through an Indian Camera (Bangalore Press)

Honours

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...

(1912) *

Companion of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

(1921) *Knighthood (1925)

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Banerjee, A. R. 1871 births 1950 deaths Indian Civil Service (British India) officers 19th-century Bengalis 20th-century Bengalis Brahmos Politicians from Kolkata Chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir (princely state) Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Order of the Star of India Diwans of Cochin Diwans of Mysore Indian Knights Bachelor Civil servants from Bristol Scottish Church College alumni University of Calcutta alumni Indian civil servants