Donald Friell McLeod

Sir Donald Friell McLeod CB KCSI (May 6, 1810 – November 28, 1872) was a Lieutenant Governor of British Punjab (in office: 10 January 1865 – 1 June 1870). He was one of the founders of Punjab University (the Lahore Oriental University) and is generally remembered as a philanthropic administrator and promoter of education (of both Oriental studies by Europeans, and European literature studies in India).

Biography

Son of Lieutenant General Duncan McLeod, he was born in Fort William, Calcutta, and was educated at Edinburgh High School, Dulwich, Putney, and Haileybury. He returned to Bengal in 1828 to start his career.

He worked in the Sagar and Nerbudda territories and Benares in 1831–49. He was appointed Commissioner of Jalandhar in 1849 and Judicial Commissioner of the Punjab in 1854.

He was at Lahore during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and earned C.B. He was Lieutenant-Governor of the Panjab in 1865–1870, receiving K.C.S.I. in 1866. He was Chairman of the Sind, Panjab and Delhi Railway before he retired and went to London.

He had pronounced religious opinions, and was a philanthropist. Sir John Lawrence called him "cunctator".

He established the Punjab University, and won sympathy with both the local people of variety of backgrounds, and British officials. He promoted Oriental studies, and the acquisition of Western knowledge through the vernacular.

He died from the effects of an accident on the London Underground.

Memory

• McLeod Ganj was named after him.
• McLeod Road Lahore is still named after him

Literature

• Lake, Major-General Edward John. Sir Donald McLeod, C.B., K.C.S.I: A record of forty-two years' service in India. London: The Religious Tract Society, 1873.
• McLeod, Sir Donald Friell, an entry in: Charles Edward Buckland. Dictionary of Indian biography. London, 1906.

Persondata
Name	McLeod, Donald Friell
Alternative names
Short description	Scottish civil servant
Date of birth	1810
Place of birth
Date of death	1872
Place of death