Bentinck, William, Lord

Bentinck, William (Henry Cavendish), Lord

(born Sept. 14, 1774, Bulstrode, Buckinghamshire, Eng.—died June 17, 1839, Paris, France) British colonial administrator. Born to wealth and rank, he was appointed governor of Madras in 1803. Recalled in 1807 after a mutiny of Indian troops at Vellore, he pressed for the next 20 years for a chance to vindicate his name. In 1828 he was named governor-general of Bengal (in effect, of all India), and he served until 1835. He reformed the country's finances, opened up administrative and judicial posts to Indians, suppressed bands of assassins known as thugs, and abolished suttee. His policies helped pave the way to independence more than a century later.