Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere

Born: March 29, 1815.
Died: May 29, 1884, Wimbledon, England.

Born on March 29, 1815, Sir Bartle Frere joined the Indian Civil Service in 1839. He was chief commissioner of Sind between 1850 and 1859, where he brutally suppressed the First War of Indian Independence in 1857. In recognition of this, he was given his knighthood and, in 1859, a place in the Viceroy's Council in Calcutta.

He remained a member of the Council till 1862, when he became the first governor of Bombay after the city reverted to the crown following accusations of mismanagement by the East India Company. He was the Governor till 1867, and was responsible for the demolition of the walls of the fort. He is also credited with the restructuring of the town along the lines which gave rise to the modern city.

He was a member of the India Council between 1867 and 1877, following his return to England. In 1872 he negotiated with the Sultan of Zanzibar for and end to the slave trade. In 1875 he accompanied the Prince of Wales on his trip to India.

He obtained a baronetcy in 1877 and was made Governor of South Africa, where he precipitated a Zulu War in December 1878. He was recalled to England in July 1880. He died on May 29, 1884, in Wimbledon.