General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Sir Richard John Meade (25 September 1821 – 20 March 1894) was a British Indian Army officer who served as the Chief Commissioner of Mysore from 1870 to 1881.

Military career

Meade was born at

Innishannon Innishannon or Inishannon () is a large village on the main Cork– Bandon road ( N71) in County Cork, Ireland. Situated on the River Bandon, the village has grown due to its proximity to Cork city, and is now a dormitory town for city wo ...

County Cork to Captain John Meade of the Royal Navy and Elizabeth Quin. He studied at the Royal Naval School at

New Cross New Cross is an area in south east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Gree ...

in London, after which he received his commission as

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diff ...

and was posted to the 65th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry. He was part of the Central India Field Force during the troubles of 1857-59 and led the column which captured Tantya Tope and hanged him. He was the British resident in the state of

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

in 1875–81. He tutored and protected Maḥbūb ʻAlī Khān, the underage

nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

(ruler).

Thomas Henry Thornton Thomas Henry Thornton CSI (1832 - 10 March 1913) was an English Indian Civil Servant, judge and author of two notable British Raj biographies. Biography Thomas Henry Thornton was born in 1832, the son of a Times journalist, and educated at Mercha ...

, Meade's biographer and author of ''General Sir Richard Meade and the Feudatory States of Central and Southern India'' (1898), regarded this position as one of the most politically challenging in India. Meade's successes included "rebuffing" efforts by prime minister Mir Turab Ali Khan, known as Sir Sālār Jang (war leader) to reestablish Hyderabad's authority over the neighbouring province of Berar. He also served in political employment at

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the ...

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capi ...

and

. After retirement, he functioned as Chairman of the Hyderabad State Railway Company. He died at

Hyères Hyères (), Provençal Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The old town lies from the sea clustered aroun ...

in France, aged 73 where he was buried. His grave bears the inscription: "Born on 25th September 1821 he entered in eternal life on 20th March 1894 at Hyères in the South of France where his mortal remains have been laid".Thornton, p. 367

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meade, Richard John 1821 births 1894 deaths British Indian Army generals British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British East India Company Army officers Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire People educated at the Royal Naval School People from County Cork