Sir Charles George Todhunter KCSI, generally known as Charles Todhunter, served as the Acting Governor of Madras Presidency in the year 1924, in the erstwhile undivided India under the rule of the British Empire. He was a well known British colonial administrator. He was a renowned Indian magistrate and also a British Indian Civil Servant. The Indian Civil Service (ICS) was the civil service of the Government of India during the era of the rule of British Empire in India. The members of the civil service were appointed under Section XXXII of the Government of India Act, 1858 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. After the year 1886, the Indian Civil Service was officially known as Imperial Civil Service.
Early Life of Charles Todhunter
Charles Todhunter was born on 16 February 1869 in New Zealand. He successfully completed his education from Aldenham School and later studied at King`s College in Cambridge. After clearing the entrance examination, Todhunter joined the British Indian Civil Service in the year 1888.
Career of Charles Todhunter
After Sir Charles George Todhunter KCSI became a member of the Indian Civil Service (ICS), he was allocated to the Madras Presidency in British India. He was appointed as a Deputy Commissioner for Salt, Excise Duties (Abkari) and Customs. He eventually became Secretary of the Board of Revenue. Todhunter was also responsible for the restructuring of customs and excise agreements in most of British of India. Later Charles Todhunter served as Director General of Excise and Salt of the British Government of India. He consecutively acted as a member of the Board of Revenue, Chief Secretary to the Government and as a member of the Executive Council of the Governor of Madras.
Todhunter was appointed as the Acting Governor of Madras on 12 April 1924 and was preceded by Major Freeman Freeman Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon PC GCSI GCMG GCIE GBE. The Madras Presidency, also known as the Presidency of Fort St. George and Madras Province, was an administrative sub division of British dominated India. The territory included most of southern India, such as the modern states of Tamil Nadu, the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, Lakshadweep Islands, the Malabar region of North Kerala, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangapur and Gajapati districts of southern Orissa and the Bellary, Ganjam, Dakshina Kannada, Rayagada and Udupi districts of Karnataka. Sir Charles George Todhunter KCSI was succeeded by George Joachim Goschen, 2nd Viscount Goschen GCSI GCIE CBE VD PC.
Later Life of Charles Todhunter
Charles Todhunter served as the president of the Indian Taxation Inquiry Committee in 1924. After he retired from the Indian Civil Service (ICS), Todhunter became private secretary to the Maharaja of Mysore. He served in the position for almost 16 years until the death of the Maharaja in the year 1940. Later he settled on his farm in the district of Kenjari in Mysore state, India. Todhunter died on 1 March 1949 at the age of 80 years.
Honours of Charles Todhunter
Sir Charles George Todhunter was knighted with Companion of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India (CSI) in the 1920 New Year Honours and later promoted to Knight Commander Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India (KCSI) in the 1921 Birthday Honours.
