Sir Dennis Fitzpatrick, (26 August 1837 – 20 May 1920) was a British administrator in India. A member of the

Indian 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 Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

, he became

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a " second-in-com ...

of the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

1892–1897.

Life and career

Fitzpatrick was born in Dublin in 1837 the son of a physician, he was educated at

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

. In 1858 Fitzpatrick passed the Indian Civil Service examination and the following year joined the Punjab Commission. He worked in the Delhi territory as a magistrate until called for special duties related to the government defence of a case brought by the heirs of Begum Samru related to confiscation of estates and seizure of arms during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

. As part of his special duties he returned to England in March 1869 and he was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

. Returning to India, Fizpatrick became a deputy-secretary in the Legislative Department and in 1876 a Judge of the Chief Court in Lahore. He then became Secretary of the Legislative Department and acted as Secretary of the Home Department in early 1885. At the end of 1885 he became Resident in Mysore and for a few months Chief Commissioner of Coorg. In October 1887 he was Chief Commissioner in Assam before being transferred two years later to be Resident at Hyderabad. In the 1890 Birthday Honours he was appointed Knight Commander 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 ...

. In March 1892 he returned to the Punjab as Lieutenant-Governor, a role he undertook until 1897 when he returned to the United Kingdom to join the London-based

Council of India The Council of India (1858 – 1935) was an advisory body to the Secretary of State for India, established in 1858 by the Government of India Act 1858. It was based in London and initially consisted of 15 members. The Council of India was dissolve ...

. Fitzpatrick retired from the Council in 1907. He was upgraded to Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) in the 1911 New Year Honours.

Family

Fitzpatrick married Mary Buller in 1862, they had a large family, two daughters had died in India as well as a son who died in a railway accident, they had two further sons."Death Of Sir Dennis Fitzpatrick." Times ondon, England22 May 1920: 16. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 26 June 2015. Fitzpatrick died in London on 20 May 1920.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzpatrick, Dennis Governors of Punjab (British India) Members of the Inner Temple Indian Civil Service (British India) officers Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Civil servants from Dublin (city) Alumni of Trinity College Dublin 1837 births 1920 deaths Irish knights Irish colonial officials Members of the Council of India