The President of the Board of Control was a British government official in the late 18th and early 19th centuries responsible for overseeing the British East India Company and generally serving as the chief official in London responsible for Indian affairs. The position was frequently a cabinet level one. The position was abolished in 1858 with the abolition of the East India Company. It was succeeded by the new position of Secretary of State for India.
List of presidents of the Board of Control
+ President of the Board of Control Portrait NameHonorifics and constituency Term of office Party Ministry Thomas Townshend, 1st Baron Sydneybefore 1789Viscount Sydney after 1789 4 September1784 6 March1790 Whig Pitt I William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville 6 March1790 22 June1793 Tory(Pittite) Henry DundasMP for Edinburgh 22 June1793 25 April1801 Tory George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth 25 April1801 2 July1802 Tory Addington Robert Stewart, Viscount CastlereaghMP for Down before 1805MP for Boroughbridge after 1806 2 July1802 11 February1806 Tory Pitt II Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Baron Minto 11 February1806 15 July1806 Whig All the Talents Thomas GrenvilleMP for Buckingham 15 July1806 30 September1806 Whig George TierneyMP for Athlone 30 September1806 6 April1807 Whig Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount MelvilleMP for Midlothian 6 April1807 11 July1809 Tory Portland II Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby 11 July1809 November1809 Tory Perceval Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount MelvilleMP for Midlothian before 1811Viscount Melville after 1811 November1809 4 April1812 Tory Robert Hobart, 4th Earl of Buckinghamshire 4 April1812 4 June1816 Tory Liverpool George CanningMP for Liverpool 4 June1816 June1821 Tory Charles BathurstMP for Harwich June1821 4 February1822 Charles Williams-Wynn (1775–1850)MP for Montgomeryshire 4 February1822 4 February1828 Tory Canning(Canningite–Whig) Goderich(Canningite–Whig) WellingtonPeel Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville 4 February1828 17 September1828 Tory Edward Law, 2nd Baron Ellenborough 17 September1828 1 December1830 Tory Charles GrantMP for Inverness-shire 1 December1830 18 September1834 Whig Grey Melbourne I Edward Law, 2nd Baron Ellenborough 18 September1834 23 April1835 Conservative Peel I Sir John Hobhouse, 2nd BaronetMP for Nottingham 23 April1835 30 August1841 Whig Melbourne II Edward Law, 2nd Baron Ellenborough 4 September1841 23 October1841 Conservative Peel II William Vesey-FitzGerald, 2nd Baron FitzGerald and Vesey 23 October1841 17 May1843 Conservative F. J. Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon 17 May1843 30 June1846 Conservative John Hobhouse, 1st Baron BroughtonMP for Nottingham before 1847MP for Harwich after 1848 8 July1846 5 February1852 Whig Russell Fox MauleMP for Perth 5 February1852 21 February1852 Whig John Charles HerriesMP for Stamford 28 February1852 17 December1852 Conservative Who? Who? Sir Charles Wood, 3rd BaronetMP for Halifax 30 December1852 3 March1855 Whig Aberdeen(Peelite–Whig) Robert Vernon SmithMP for Northampton 3 March1855 21 February1858 Whig Palmerston I Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough 6 March1858 5 June1858 Conservative DerbyDisraeli II Edward Stanley, Lord StanleyMP for King's Lynn 5 June1858 2 August1858 Conservative
Lord Stanley took up the new post of Secretary of State for India on 2 August 1858, upon the establishment of the British Raj.
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