Madras Legislative Council (1861–1891)
Introduction '''The first Indian Councils Act of 1861''' set up the Madras Legislative Council as an advisory body through which the colonial administration obtained advice and assistance. The Act empowered the provincial Governor to nominate four non-English Indian members to the council for the first time. Under the Act, the nominated members were allowed to move their own bills and vote on bills introduced in the council. However, they were not allowed to question the executive, move resolutions or examine the budget and not interfere with the laws passed by the Central Legislature. The Governor was also the president of the council and he had complete authority over when, where and how long to convene the council and what to discuss. Two members of his Executive Council and the Advocate-General of Madras were also allowed to participate and vote in the council. The Indians nominated under this Act were mostly zamindars and ''ryotwari'' landowners, who often benefited from their association with the colonial government. Supportive members were often re-nominated for several terms. G. N. Gajapathi Rao was nominated eight times, Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur was a member for 23 years, T. Rama Rao and P. Chentsal Rao were members for six years each. Other prominent members during the period included V. Bhashyam Aiyangar, S. Subramania Iyer and C. Sankaran Nair. The Council met infrequently and in some years (1874 and 1892) was not convened even once. The maximum of number of times it met in a year was eighteen. The Governor preferred to convene the Council at his summer retreat Udagamandalam, much to the displeasure of the Indian members. The few times when the Council met, it was for only a few hours with bills and resolutions being rushed through.
List of members This is the list of the official and non-official members of the Madras Legislative Council between 1861 and 1891.The number of members in the Council at a given point of time may vary due to differing appointment dates of the individual members.YearGovernorOfficialsNon-officials 1861-1862 William Thomas Denison 1) Thomas Sydney Smith 2) Thomas Pycroft3) Charles Pelly1) Robert Orr Campbell2) William Reierson Arbuthnot Sr3) V. Sadagopacharlu 1862-1863 Edward Maltby (acting Governor) 1) James Hope Grant 2) Thomas Pycroft3) Charles Pelly4) Thomas Sydney Smith5) William Reierson Arbuthnot Sr1) William Reierson Arbuthnot, Sr2) Robert Orr Campbell3) V. Sadagopacharlu4) John Bruce Norton5) Shurf-Ool-Omrah-Bahadur 1863-1864 William Thomas Denison 1) James Hope Grant 2) Thomas Pycroft3) Henry Dominic Phillips4) Charles Pelly5) Sir Alexander John Arbuthnot6) John Bruce Norton1) William Reierson Arbuthnot, Sr2) Robert Orr Campbell3) Shurf-Ool-Omrah-Bahadur4) Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty5)Edward Maltby 1864-1865 William Thomas Denison 1) John Gaspard Le Marchant 2) Thomas Pycroft3) Henry Dominic Phillips4) Charles Pelley5) Sir Alexander John Arbuthnot6) John Bruce Norton7) Robert Stanton Ellis1) Robert Orr Campbell2) Shurf-Ool-Omrah-Bahadur3)Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty 1865-1866 Lord Napier 1) John Gaspard Le Marchant 2) Thomas Pycroft3) Henry Dominic Phillips4) Charles Pelly5)Sir Alexander John Arbuthnot6) Robert Stanton Ellis1) A. F. Brown2) John Young3) Shurf-Ool-Omrah-Bahadur4)Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty 1866-1867 Lord Napier 1) Lt Gen William Anson McCleverty 2) Henry Dominic Phillips3) Sir Alexander John Arbuthnot4) Thomas Clarke5) Robert Stanton Ellis6)John Bruce Norton1) Alexander Forrester Brown2) William Reierson Arbuthnot, Sr3) Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty4) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur 1867-1868 Lord Napier 1) Lt. Gen. William Anson McCleverty2) Henry Dominic Phillips3) Sir Alexander John Arbuthnot4) Thomas Clarke5) Robert Stanton Ellis6) John Bruce Norton7) V. Ramiengar1) William Reierson Arbuthnot, Sr2) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur3) John Charles Loch4)G. N. Gajapathi Rao 1869-1870 Lord Napier 1) Lt Gen William Anson McCleverty 2) Sir Alexander John Arbuthnot3) James Duncan Sim4) Robert Stanton Ellis5) J. B. Norton6) V. Ramiengar1) William Reierson Arbuthnot, Sr2) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur3) John Charles Loch4)G. N. Gajapathi Rao 1870-1871 Lord Napier 1) Lt Gen William Anson McCleverty 2) Sir Alexander John Arbuthnot3) James Duncan Sim4) Robert Stanton Ellis5) John D. Mayne6) V. Ramiengar1) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur2) G. N. Gajapathi Rao3) A. F. Browne4) A. Mackenzie5) Venkata Sanjeeva Rao 1871-1872 Lord Hobart 1) Sir Frederick Paul Haines 2) James Duncan Sim3) Robert Stanton Ellis4) H. S. Cunningham5) William Huddleston6) Sordon Sullivan Fordes7) V. Ramiengar 1872-1873 Lord Hobart1) Sir Frederick Paul Haines 2) James Duncan Sim3) William Robinson4) H. S. Cunningham5) William Huddleston6) V. Ramiengar1) V. Sanjiva Rao2) A. F. Browne3) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur4) G. N. Gajapathi Rao5) William Reierson Arbuthnot Sr 1873-1874 Lord Hobart1) Sir Frederick Paul Haines 2) James Duncan Sim3) William Rose Robinson4) H. S. Cunningham5) David Fremantle Carmichael6) V. Ramiengar1) G. N. Gajapathi Rao2) William Reierson Arbuthnot, Sr3) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur 1874-1875 Duke of Buckingham and Chandos1) Sir Frederick Paul Haines 2) William Rose Robinson3) R. S. Ellis4) H. S. Cunningham5) David Fremantle Carmichael6) V. Ramiengar7) William Huddleston1) G. N. Gajapathi Rao2) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur3) J. G. Coleman4) P. Macfadyen 1875-1876 Duke of Buckingham and Chandos1) Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain 2) William Rose Robinson3) R. S. Ellis4) H. S. Cunningham5) V. Ramiengar6) William Huddleston7) D. F. Carmichael1) G. N. Gajapathi Rao2) J. G. Coleman3) P. Macfayden4) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur 1876-1877 Duke of Buckingham and Chandos1) Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain 2) William Rose Robinson3) William Huddleston4) D. F. Carmichael5) V. Ramiengar6) Patrick O'Sullivan1) G. N. Gajapathi Rao2) J. G. Coleman3) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur 1877-1878 Duke of Buckingham and Chandos1) Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain 2) William Huddleston3) D. F. Carmichael4) Patrick O'Sullivan1) G. N. Gajapathi Rao2) J. G. Coleman3) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur4) Raja of Pittapore5) A. Seshayya Sastri6) Alexander Mackenzie 1878-1879 Duke of Buckingham and Chandos1) Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain 2) William Huddleston3) D. F. Carmichael4) V. Ramiengar5) Patrick O'Sullivan1) G. N. Gajapathi Rao2) J. G. Coleman3) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur4) Raja of Pittapore5)A. Seshayya Sastri6) Patrick Macfadyen 1879-1880 William Patrick Adam1) Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain 2) William Huddleston3) D. F. Carmichael4) Patrick O'Sullivan5) Robert Davidson1) G. N. Gajapathi Rao2) J. G. Coleman3) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur4) Raja of Pittapore5) Patrick Macfadyen6)C. V. Runganada Sastri 1880-1881 Mountstuart Elphinstone1) Sir Frederick Sleigh Roberts 2) William Huddleston3) D. F. Carmichael4) Patrick O'Sullivan5) Robert Davidson6) Henry Edward Sullivan1) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur2) Raja of Pittapore3) G. N. Gajapathi Rao4) J. G. Coleman5) Patrick Macfadyen6) Tumalapalli Rama Rao 1881-1882 Mountstuart Elphinstone1) Sir Frederick Sleigh Roberts 2) D. F. Carmichael3) Henry Edward Sullivan4) Patrick O'Sullivan5) C. G. Master6) Robert Davidson1) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur2) G. N. Gajapathi Rao3) J. G. Coleman4)A. Seshayya Sastri5) Alexander Mackenzie6) Tumalapalli Rama Rao 1882-1883 Mountstuart Elphinstone1) Sir Frederick Sleigh Roberts 2) H. E. Sullivan3) C. G. Master4) Patrick O'Sullivan5)Edmund Foster Webster6) John Heron Maxwell Shaw-Stewart7) W. H. Cornish1) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur2) A. Seshayya Sastri3) Alexander Mackenzie4) G. N. Gajapathi Rao5) Tumalapalli Rama Rao 1883-1884 Mountstuart Elphinstone1) Sir Frederick Sleigh Roberts 2) H. E. Sullivan3) C. G. Master4) Patrick O'Sullivan5) Edmund Foster Webster6) John Heron Maxwell Shaw-Stewart7) W. H. Cornish1) T. Rama Rao2) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur3) Maharaja of Vizianagaram4) Alexander Mackenzie5)S. Subramania Iyer 1884-1885 Mountstuart Elphinstone1) Sir Frederick Sleigh Roberts 2) H. E. Sullivan3) C. G. Master4) Hale Horratio Shepherd5) John Heron Maxwell Shaw-Stewart6) William Wilson7) Richard Wellesley Barlow1) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur2) Maharaja of Vizianagaram3) S. Subramania Iyer4) John Alexander Brown5) T. Rama Rao 1885-1886 Lord Connemara1) Charles George Arbuthnot 2) H. M. Sullivan3) C. G. Master4) Philipp Perceval Hutchins5) R. W. Barlow6) Patrick O' Sullivan7) H. E. Stokes1) John Alexander Boyson2) T. Rama Rao3) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur4) Maharaja of Vizianagaram5) S. Subramania Iyer 1886-1887 Lord Connemara1) Charles George Arbuthnot 2) C. G. Master3) P. P. Hutchins4) H. E. Stokes5) J. H. Spring-Branson6) John Ord Haspard1) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur2) Maharaja of Vizianagaram3) S. Subramania Iyer4) Stewart Robertson Turnbull 1887-1888 Lord Connemara1) Charles George Arbuthnot 2) C. G. Master3) H. E. Stokes4) J. H. Spring-Branson5) John Frederick Price6) James Grose7) Vembakkam Bashyam Iyengar1) Rajagopala Krishna Yachendra of Venkatagiri2) John Alexander Boyson3) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur4) P. Chentsal Rao 1888-1889 Lord Connemara1) Charles George Arbuthnot 2) H. E. Stokes3) J. H. Garstin4) J. F. Price5) James Grose6) Vembakkam Bashyam Iyengar7) J. H. Spring-Branson1) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur2) Rajagopala Krishna Yachendra of Venkatagiri3) J. A. Boyson4)C. Sankaran Nair 1889-1890 1) Charles George Arbuthnot 2) H. E. Stokes 3) James Grose4) Henry William Bliss5) J. F. Price6) J. H. Spring-Branson1) C. Sankaran Nair2) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur3) Rajagopala Krishna Yachendra of Venkatagiri4) George Hamnett5) V. Bhashyam Aiyangar6) John Alexander Boyson 1890-1891 Lord Wenlock1) James Charlemagne Dormer 2) H. E. Stokes 3) J. H. Garstin4) J. F. Price5) James Grose6) H. G. Wedderburn1) Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur2) Rajagopala Krishna Yachendra of Venkatagiri3) George Hamnett4) Vembakkam Bashyam Iyengar5) J. A. Boyson6) C. Sankaran Nair
See also *Madras Legislative Council, 1891-1909
References