John Henry Garstin was one of the eminent Governors of colonial Madras from the year 1890 to 1891, in undivided India under the rule of the British Empire. He was also a well known colonial administrator in British dominated India. Garstin was born in the year 1838 in the United Kingdom. He successfully completed his education in the United Kingdom and later passed the qualification examination for the British Indian Civil Service (ICS), which 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.

Career of John Henry Garstin
John Henry Garstin was initially employed as the Private Secretary to Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier, who was the Governor of Madras at the time. herved in the position from 27 March 1866 to 25 January 1870. Eventually Garstin was appointed to the Board of Revenue. He was also nominated to the Madras Legislative Council and served in the post from 9 January 1889 to 9 January 1894.

Later he acted as the Governor of Madras from 1st December 1890 for a brief period until the appointment of Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock. 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.

Garstin was preceded by Robert Bourke as the Governor of Madras. John Henry Garstin served in office till 23 January 1891 and was succeeded by Beilby Lawley, Baron Wenlock. In his later life, John Henry Garstin wrote and published the literary work of "Manual of the South Arcot District" in the year 1878. He died in the year 1903 in the United Kingdom.