# List of governors of Jharkhand

The governor of Jharkhand is the nominal head of the Indian state of Jharkhand. The governor is appointed by the president of India. Though all official affairs of the state are administered and carried out in the name of the governor, the real executive power rests with the chief minister who is a member of the legislative assembly and is the leader of the majority party in the house. The official residence of the governor is Raj Bhavan.
The position of the governor of Jharkhand came into existence following the creation of the state in November 2000 as a result of the bifurcation of Bihar. The first governor to be appointed was Prabhat Kumar who served in office between 2000 and 2002. The current governor is Santosh Gangwar.

## Powers and functions

The governor enjoys many different types of powers:
* Executive powers related to administration, appointments and removals,
* Legislative powers related to lawmaking and the state legislature, that is Vidhan Sabha or Vidhan Parishad, and
* Discretionary powers to be carried out according to the discretion of the governor.See also: Powers and functions of the Governor
Apart from enjoying various constitutional powers, the governor of Jharkhand is the ex-officio Chancellor of the state universities of Jharkhand. The universities include Binod Bihari Mahto Koyalanchal University, Birsa Agricultural University, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, Jharkhand Raksha Shakti University, Jharkhand University of Technology, Kolhan University, Nilamber-Pitamber University, Ranchi University, Sido Kanhu Murmu University, and Vinoba Bhave University.

## List of governors of Jharkhand
### Agents, Chiefs and Governors (1650-1699)

In 1644 Gabriel Boughton, procured privileges for the East India Company which permitted them to build a factory at Hughli, without fortifications. In 1650, the factories of Balasor and Hughli were united. On 14 December 1650, James Bridgman was appointed as the chief of the factories. However, in 1653, Bridgman left suddenly and Powle Waldegrave assumed his charge.
On 27 February 1657, the company resolved its holdings into four agencies:- Fort St. George, Bantam, Persia, and Hughli. George Gawton was appointed as the Agent of Hughly. Additional three factories in Ballasore, Cassambazar and Pattana were put under the Hughly agency. In 1658, Johnathan Trevisa was appointed as the second to Gawton and was meant to succeed him after the latter's death. On 6 February 1661, the company reduced the Hughly agency under the Fort St. George, and then agent Trevisa was made the "Chief of Factories in the Bay of Bengal". On 24 November 1681, William Hedges was appointed as the "Agent and Governor for the affairs of the East India Company in the Bay of Bengal". On 21 December 1684, William Gyfford who was the President and Governor of Fort St. George was given the additional charge of Bengal due to increasing mismanagement. John Beard was appointed as the "Agent and Chief in the Bay of Bengal" and become the subordinate to Gifford.
Chief of the factories of Balasore and Hughli :
| Name | Took Office | Left Office | Remarks |
| James Bridgman | 14 December 1650 | 1653 | |
| Powle Waldegrave | 1653 | 1657 | |
| Agent of Hughly Agency |||||
| George Gawton | 27 February 1657 | 11 September 1658 | |
| John Trevisa | 11 September 1658 | 6 February 1661 | |
| Chief of Factories in the Bay of Bengal |||||
| John Trevisa | 6 February 1661 | 31 January 1662 | |
| William Blake | 31 January 1662 | 24 January 1668 | |
| Shem Bridges | 24 January 1668 | 7 December 1669 | |
| Henry Powell | 7 December 1669 | ? | |
| Walter Clavell | ~June 1672 | 7 August 1677 | Died in office |
| Mathias Vincent | 7 September 1677 | ~July 1682 (position superseded) | Deposed in July 1682 |
| Agent and Governor for the affairs of the East India Company in the Bay of Bengal |||||
| Sir William Hedges | 24 November 1681 | ~ August 1684 | Deposed in August 1864 |
| Agent and Chief in the Bay of Bengal |||||
| John Beard | 21 December 1863 | 28 August 1865 | Died in office |
| Job Charnock | ~ April 1686 | 10 January 1693 | Died in office |
| Francis Ellis | 10 January 1693 | January 1694 | |
| Charles Eyre | 25 January 1694 | 1 February 1699 | Left for England in 1699 |
| John Beard | 1 February 1699 | 20 December 1699 (position superseded) | Second to Eyre |

### President and Governor of Fort William, in Bengal (1699-1705)

On 20 December 1699, the Court of Directors (London East India Company) declared Bengal a Presidency, and then Agent Charles Eyre was made the " President and Governor of Fort William, in Bengal". The President or Chief in the Bay of Bengal for the English East India Company was Sir Edward Littleton in whose commission and instructions, dated 12 January 1698, it was also stated that power had been obtained from his Majesty to constitute him the "Minister or Consul for the English Nation" with all powers requisite thereunto.” Littleton was later deposed by the Court of Directors in 1703.
The union of the two East India Companies took place on 23 July 1702. For united trade in Bengal, a Council was appointed, of which Nathaniel Halsey and Robert Hedges were to take chair each in their week alternatively as per the dispatch from United Company on 26 February 1702. In a dispatch of 12 February 1704, it was ordered that if Beard shall die, no one will be appointed as President to succeed him. After the departure of John Beard to Madras, Ralph Sheldon assumed the position of Chief of Council, and his appointment was confirmed in a dispatch of 7 February 1706.
President and Governor of Fort William, in Bengal :
| Name | Portrait | Took Office | Left Office | Remarks |
| Sir Charles Eyre | | 20 December 1699 | 7 January 1701 | Left on account of health issues |
| John Beard | | 7 January 1701 | 7 July 1705 | Died in Office |

### President in the Bay, and Governor and Commander-in-Chief for Fort William, in Bengal (1705-1774)

On 30 December 1709, Anthony Weldon was appointed as the "President in the Bay, and Governor and Commander-in-Chief for Fort William, in Bengal" for the United East India Company. His appointment was later revoked and was supposed to be succeeded by Sheldon. Since Sheldon had died by the time dispatch arrived in Bengal, John Russell was ordered to succeed as the Governor. By a letter of 8 May 1771, the Court appointed Warren Hastings to be Governor of Bengal. By Act of Parliament 13 Geo. III., cap. 63, the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal will headed by a Governor-General, and Hastings was appointed as the first Governor-General. He assumed the office on 20 October 1774.
President in the Bay, and Governor and Commander-in-Chief for Fort William, in Bengal :
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Remarks | Appointee |
| 1 | Anthony Weldon | 30 December 1709 | 4 March 1711 | Appointment revoked by the Court of Directors Resigned on March 1711 | East India Company |
| 2 | John Rusell | 4 March 1711 | 3 December 1713 | Dismissed by the Court | East India Company |
| 3 | Robert Hedges | 3 December 1713 | 28 December 1717 | died in office | East India Company |
| 4 | Samuel Feake | 12 January 1718 | 17 January 1723 | Left for England due to illness | East India Company |
| 5 | John Deane | 17 January 1723 | 30 January 1726 | Returned to England | East India Company |
| 6 | Henry Frankland | 30 January 1726 | 25 February 1732 | Returned to Europe | East India Company |
| 7 | John Stackhouse | 25 February 1732 | 29 January 1739 | Resigned | East India Company |
| 8 | Thomas Broddyll | 29 January 1739 | 4 Feb 1746 | Left for England | East India Company |
| 9 | John Forster | 4 Feb 1746 | March 1748 | Died in office | East India Company |
| 10 | William Barewell | 18 April 1748 | 1749 | Dismissed by the Court | East India Company |
| 11 | Adam Dawson | 17 July 1749 | 1752 | Dismissed by the Court | East India Company |
| 12 | William Fycthe | 5 July 1752 | 8 August 1752 | Died in Office | East India Company |
| 13 | Roger Drake | 8 August 1752 | 20 June 1758 | Deposed by the Court | East India Company |
| 14 | Col. Robert Clive | 27 June 1758 | 23 January 1760 | Resigned | East India Company |
| 15 | John Zephaniah Holwell | 28 January 1760 | 27 July 1760 | Handed over to Vansittart who was appointed on 23 November 1759 to the office | East India Company |
| 16 | Henry Vansittart | 27 July 1760 | 26 November 1764 | Returned to England | East India Company |
| 17 | John Spencer | 3 December 1764 | 3 May 1765 | | East India Company |
| 18 | The Lord Clive | 3 May 1765 | 20 January 1767 | Returned to England | East India Company |
| 19 | Harry Verelst | 29 January 1767 | 24 December 1769 | Retired from the service | East India Company |
| 20 | John Cartier | 26 December 1769 | 13 April 1772 | | East India Company |
| 21 | Warren Hastings | 13 April 1772 | 20 October 1773 (office superseded) | Appointed as the Governor-General of Fort William in Bengal in 1773 | East India Company |
| Portrait | Name | Term | Term | Appointer |
| Before 1773 the Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William was named as Governor of Bengal (1757–1772). |||||
| Governors General of the Presidency of Fort William (1773–1833) |||||
| | Warren Hastings | 20 October 1773 | 8 February 1785 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | John Macpherson (acting) | 8 February 1785 | 12 September 1786 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | The Marquess Cornwallis | 12 September 1786 | 28 October 1793 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | John Shore | 28 October 1793 | 18 March 1798 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | Alured Clarke (acting) | 18 March 1798 | 18 May 1798 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | The Earl of Mornington | 18 May 1798 | 30 July 1805 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | The Marquess Cornwallis | 30 July 1805 | 5 October 1805 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | Sir George Barlow, Bt (acting) | 10 October 1805 | 31 July 1807 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | The Lord Minto | 31 July 1807 | 4 October 1813 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | The Marquess of Hastings | 4 October 1813 | 9 January 1823 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | John Adam (acting) | 9 January 1823 | 1 August 1823 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | The Lord Amherst | 1 August 1823 | 13 March 1828 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | William Butterworth Bayley (acting) | 13 March 1828 | 4 July 1828 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| Governors-General of India (1834–1858) |||||
| | Lord William Bentinck | 4 July 1828 | 20 March 1835 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | Charles Metcalfe, Bt (acting) | 20 March 1835 | 4 March 1836 | East India Company (1773–1858) |
| | The Lord Auckland | 4 March 1836 | 15 November 1834 | East India Company (1773–1858) |

### Governors of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal (1834-1854)

By an Act of 1833 (3 & 4 William IV. , cap. lxxxv., Section lvi . ), it was enacted " that the Executive Government of each of the several Presidencies of Fort William in Bengal, Fort St. George, Bombay, and Agra shall be administered by a Governor and three Councilors, to be styled the Governor-in-Council of the said Presidencies of Fort William in Bengal , Fort St. George, Bombay, and Agra respectively, and that the Governor General of India for the time being shall be Governor of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal. From this time the Governors General of India held also the separate office of Governor of Bengal, until the year 1854. Under the Charter Act 1853 the Governor General of India was relieved of his concurrent duties as Governor of Bengal and empowered to appoint a lieutenant-governor from 1854.
Governors of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal
(ex-officio Governor-General of India, 1833-1857) :
| # | Name (birth–death) | Took office | Left office | Appointee |
| 1 | The Lord William Bentick (1774–1839) | 15 November 1834 (1833) | 20 March 1835 | East India Company |
| - | Sir Charles Metcalfe, Bt, ICS (acting) (1785–1846) | 20 March 1835 | 4 March 1836 | East India Company |
| 2 | The Lord Auckland (1784–1849) | 4 March 1836 | 28 February 1842 | East India Company |
| 3 | The Lord Ellenborough (1790–1871) | 28 February 1842 | June 1844 | East India Company |
| - | William Wilberforce Bird, ICS (acting) (1784–1857) | June 1844 | 23 July 1844 | East India Company |
| 4 | Sir Henry Hardinge (1785–1856) | 23 July 1844 | 12 January 1848 | East India Company |
| 5 | The Earl of Dalhousie (1812–1860) | 12 January 1848 | 1 May 1854 (28 February 1856) | East India Company |

### Lieutenant Governors of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal (1854-1912)

Under the Charter Act 1853 the Governor General of India was relieved of his concurrent duties as Governor of Bengal and a separate Governor of Bengal shall be appointed. Until then a Lieutenant Governor will be appointed. F. J. Halliday became the first lieutenant governor of the Bengal presidency. William Duke served as the last lieutenant governor after which the office was superseded by the Governor of Bengal province in 1912.
Lieutenant Governors of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal :
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Appointee |
| 1 | Frederick James Halliday | 1854 | 1859 | The Marquess of Dalhousie |
| 2 | John Peter Grant | 1859 | 1862 | The Earl Canning |
| 3 | Cecil Beadon | 1862 | 1866 | The Earl Canning |
| 4 | William Grey | 1867 | 1870 | Sir John Lawrence, Bt |
| 5 | George Campbell | 1870 | 1874 | The Earl of Mayo |
| 6 | Sir Richard Temple Hart | 1874 | 1877 | The Lord Northbrook |
| 7 | Sir Ashley Eden | 1877 | 1882 | The Lord Northbrook |
| 8 | Sir Augustus Rivers Thompson | 1882 | 1887 | The Marquess of Ripon |
| 9 | Sir Steuart Colvin Bayley | 1887 | 1890 | The Earl of Dufferin |
| 10 | Sir Charles Alfred Elliott | 1890 | 1893 | The Marquess of Lansdowne |
| 11 | Sir Anthony Patrick MacDonnell | 1893 | 1895 | The Marquess of Lansdowne |
| 12 | Sir Alexander Mackenzie | 1895 | 1897 | The Earl of Elgin |
| 13 | Sir Charles Cecil Stevens | 1897 | 1898 | The Earl of Elgin |
| 14 | Sir John Woodburn | 1898 | 1902 | The Earl of Elgin |
| 15 | James Dewar Bourdillon | 1902 | 1903 | The Lord Curzon of Kedleston |
| 16 | Sir Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser | 1903 | 1906 | The Lord Curzon of Kedleston |
| 17 | Francis Slacke | 1906 | 1908 | The Earl of Minto |
| 18 | Sir Edward Norman Baker | 1908 | 1911 | The Earl of Minto |
| 19 | Frederick William Duke | 1911 | 1912 | The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst |

### Lieutenant governors of Bihar and Orissa Province

| # | Name | Entered office | Left office |
| 1 | Sir Charles Stuart Bayley | 1912 | 1915 |
| 2 | Sir Edward Albert Gait | 1915 | 1918 |
| 3 | Sir Edward Vere Levinge | 1918 | 1918 |
| 4 | Sir Edward Albert Gait | 1918 | 1919 |
| 4 | Sir Edward Albert Gait | 1919 | 1920 |

### Governors of Bihar and Orissa Province

| # | Name | Entered office | Left office |
| 5 | Satyendra Prasanna Sinha | 1920 | 1921 |
| 6 | Havilland Le Mesurier | 1921 | 1922 |
| 7 | Sir Henry Wheeler | 1922 | 1927 |
| 8 | Hugh Lansdown Stephenson | 1927 | 1932 |
| 9 | Sir James David Sifton | 1932 | 1936 |

## Governors

| # | Name | Entered office | Left office |
| Before Independence |||||
| 9 | Sir James David Sifton | 1 April 1936 | 10 March 1937 |
| 10 | Sir Maurice Garnier Hallett | 11 March 1937 | 15 May 1938 |
| 11 | Sir Thomas Alexander Stewart | 15 May 1938 | 16 September 1938 |
| 12 | Sir Maurice Garnier Hallett | 17 September 1938 | 5 August 1939 |
| 13 | Sir Thomas Alexander Stewart | 6 August 1939 | 2 February 1943 |
| 14 | Sir Thomas George Rutherford | 3 February 1943 | 6 September 1943 |
| 15 | Sir Francis Mudie | 7 September 1943 | 23 April 1944 |
| 16 | Sir Thomas George Rutherford | 24 April 1944 | 12 May 1946 |
| 17 | Sir Hugh Dow | 13 May 1946 | 14 August 1947 |
| After Independence |||||
| 18 | Jairamdas Daulatram | 15 August 1947 | 11 January 1948 |
| 19 | Madhav Shrihari Aney | 12 January 1948 | 14 June 1952 |
| 20 | R. R. Diwakar | 15 June 1952 | 5 July 1957 |
| 21 | Zakir Husain | 6 July 1957 | 11 May 1962 |
| 22 | M. A. Ayyangar | 12 May 1962 | 6 December 1967 |
| 23 | Nityanand Kanungo | 7 December 1967 | 20 January 1971 |
| 24 | Justice U.N. Sinha | 21 January 1971 | 31 January 1971 |
| 25 | Dev Kant Baruah | 1 February 1971 | 4 February 1973 |
| 26 | Ramchandra Dhondiba Bhandare | 4 February 1973 | 15 June 1976 |
| 27 | Jagannath Kaushal | 16 June 1976 | 31 January 1979 |
| 28 | Justice K.B.N. Singh | 31 January 1979 | 19 September 1979 |
| 29 | Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai | 20 September 1979 | 15 March 1985 |
| 30 | P. Venkatasubbaiah | 15 March 1985 | 25 February 1988 |
| 31 | Govind Narain Singh | 26 February 1988 | 24 January 1989 |
| 32 | Justice Dipak Kumar Sen | 24 January 1989 | 28 January 1989 |
| 33 | R.D. Pradhan | 29 January 1989 | 2 February 1989 |
| 34 | Jagannath Pahadia | 3 March 1989 | 2 February 1990 |
| 35 | Justice G.G. Sohoni | 2 February 1990 | 16 February 1990 |
| 36 | Mohammad Saleem | 16 February 1990 | 13 February 1991 |
| 37 | B. Satya Narayan Reddy | 14 February 1991 | 18 March 1991 |
| 38 | Mohammad Shafi Qureshi | 19 March 1991 | 13 August 1993 |
| 39 | Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai | 14 August 1993 | 26 April 1998 |
| 40 | Sunder Singh Bhandari | 27 April 1998 | 15 March 1999 |
| 41 | Justice B.M. Lall | 15 March 1999 | 5 October 1999 |
| 42 | Suraj Bhan | 6 October 1999 | 22 November 1999 |
| 43 | V. C. Pande | 23 November 1999 | 15 November 2000 |

### List of governors

| No. | Portrait | Name (born – died) | Tenure in office | Tenure in office |
| No. | Portrait | Name (born – died) | From | To |
| 44 | | Prabhat Kumar प्रभात कुमार IAS (Retd.) (born 1940) | 15 November 2000 | 3 February 2002 |
| 45 | | Vinod Chandra Pande विनोद चंद्र पांडे IAS (Retd.) (1932–2005) (Additional charge) | 4 February 2002 | 14 July 2002 |
| 46 | | Justice (Retd.) M. Rama Jois एम. राम जोइस (1931–2021) | 15 July 2002 | 11 June 2003 |
| 47 | | Ved Marwah वेद मारवाह IPS (Retd.) (1934–2020) | 12 June 2003 | 9 December 2004 |
| 48 | | Syed Sibtey Razi सैयद सिब्ते रज़ी (1939–2022) | 10 December 2004 | 25 July 2009 |
| 49 | | K. Sankaranarayanan के. शंकरनारायणन (1932–2022) | 26 July 2009 | 21 January 2010 |
| 50 | | M. O. H. Farook एम. ओ. एच. फारूक (1937–2012) | 22 January 2010 | 3 September 2011 |
| 51 | | Syed Ahmed सैयद अहमद (1943–2015) | 4 September 2011 | 17 May 2015 |
| 52 | | Droupadi Murmu द्रौपदी मुर्मू (born 1958) | 18 May 2015 | 13 July 2021 |
| 53 | | Ramesh Bais रमेश बैस (born 1947) | 14 July 2021 | 17 February 2023 |
| 54 | | C. P. Radhakrishnan सी. पी. राधाकृष्णन (born 1957) | 18 February 2023 | 30 July 2024 |
| 55 | | Santosh Gangwar संतोष गंगवार (born 1948) | 31 July 2024 | Incumbent |