George Russell Clerk

Clerk was born at Worting House in Mortimer West End, Hampshire,1851 England Census the son of John Clerk of Gloucester{{cite book |last1=Foster |first1=Joseph |title=The Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage of the British Empire: for 1882 |date=1883 |publisher=Westminster: Nichols and Sons |page=[https://archive.org/details/peeragebaronetag02fost/page/706 706] |url=https://archive.org/details/peeragebaronetag02fost |accessdate=9 May 2019}} and Anne St John Mildmay, daughter and coheir of the late Carew St John Mildmay of Shawford House, Hampshire.{{cite book |last1=Walford |first1=Edward |title=The County Families of the United Kingdom, Or Royal Manual of the Titled and Untitled Aristocracy of Great Britain and Ireland. 2. Ed. Greatly Enl |date=1864 |publisher=Hardwicke |page=209 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n9pv_1xLploC&q=Sir+George+Russell+Clerk&pg=PA209 |accessdate=9 May 2019 |language=en}} Like all civil servants until the introduction of Competitive examinations in the 1850s, Clerk had studied at Haileybury College in Hertfordshire, being posted to Bengal as a writer in 1817.{{sfn|Carlysle|1901}}

Early in his career he worked in the Political and Secret Department of the Government, and most of his subsequent work was in that line. He thus worked as an Assistant to the President in Rajputana and Delhi, before being posted as Political Agent at Ambala and subsequently at Ludhiana in 1839 and Lahore in 1840.

In 1843, he was posted as Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces (present day U.P.). He was then appointed Governor of Bombay from 1848 to 1850.

Subsequently, he worked outside India, helping establish the Orange Free State between 1853 and 1856 and then became the first Permanent Under-Secretary of State for India, a position which replaced that of the Examiner at East India House when the Government of India was looked after by the East India Company.{{sfn|Carlysle|1901}}

He was Governor of Bombay for a second time from 11 May 1860 to 24 April 1862. After this, like a lot of eminent personnel in the civil and military line, he was appointed as a member of the Council of India. He remained there until 1876.{{sfn|Carlysle|1901}}

He died in London at his residence, 33 Elm Park Gardens, on 25 July 1889."Deaths." The Belfast Newsletter, p. 5. 29 July 1889

In 1827, Clerk married Mary (died 26 November 1878), widow of Colonel Stewart. Their son was Sir Godfrey Clerk and grandson Sir George Clerk.{{cite book |title=Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, of Great Britain and Ireland, for ...: Including All the Titled Classes |date=1908 |publisher=S. Low, Marston & Company |page=269 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a2iSNbw1UlYC&q=Sir+George+Russell+Clerk&pg=PA269 |accessdate=9 May 2019 |language=en}}

{{Reflist}}

;Attribution

{{DNBSupp|wstitle=Clerk, George Russell |first=Edward Irving|last= Carlyle}}

• {{Internet Archive author |sname=George Russell Clerk |sopt=t}}
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=3VQTAAAAYAAJ The India List and India Office List By India Office, Great Britain]
• [https://archive.org/stream/bombayplacenames00sheprich/bombayplacenames00sheprich_djvu.txt Bombay place-names and street-names; an excursion into the by-ways of the history of Bombay City]

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{{succession box | title=Lieutenant Governor of North-Western Provinces | before=Vacant
previously by-
T. C. Robertson | after=James Thomason | years=30 June 1843 – 22 December 1843}}

{{succession box | title=Governor of Bombay | before=Lestock Robert Reid | after=The Viscount Falkland | years=1848–1850}}

{{succession box | title=Governor of Bombay | before=The Lord Elphinstone | after=Sir Henry Bartle Frere | years=1860–1862}}

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Category:1800s births

Category:1889 deaths

Category:Governors of Bombay

Category:British East India Company civil servants

Category:Members of the Council of India

Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India

Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath

Category:Lieutenant-governors of the North-Western Provinces

Category:Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for India