Who was the Governor General of India during the “First War of Independence of…

Concept: The Governor-General of India was the topmost British administrator in India. To answer such a date-matching question, find the person whose tenure of office actually spanned the year of the event.

Application: The First War of Independence (the Revolt of 1857) broke out in May 1857 and continued into 1858. Lord Canning held the office of Governor-General from February 1856 until 1862, so the year 1857 falls squarely within his tenure. Canning was therefore the Governor-General who handled the revolt, and after the Crown took over administration in 1858 he became the first Viceroy of India.

Contrast: Comparing the tenures of the offered choices makes the date-match unambiguous:

• Lord Canning: in office 1856 to 1862, so the year 1857 lies within this term.

• Lord Dalhousie: left office in early 1856, before the revolt began.

• Warren Hastings: served in the late eighteenth century (1770s to 1780s), generations before 1857.

• Lord Cornwallis: served in the late eighteenth century (associated with the Permanent Settlement of 1793).