Donald Friell McLeod


Sir Donald Friell McLeod was a Lieutenant Governor of British Punjab. He was one of the founders of Lahore Oriental College, now part of the Punjab University and is generally remembered as a philanthropic administrator and promoter of education.

Biography

Son of Lieutenant General Duncan McLeod, he was born in Fort William, Calcutta, and was educated at Edinburgh High School of Edinburgh, and the East India Company College at Hailey. He returned to Bengal in 1828 as an officer to start his career in the Company's administrative service. He worked in the Sagar and Nerbudda territories and Benares in 1831–49. He was appointed Commissioner of Jalandhar in 1849 and Judicial Commissioner of the Punjab in 1854.
He was at Lahore during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and earned a C.B. He was Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab in 1865–1870, receiving K.C.S.I. in 1866.
He encouraged Oriental Studies and voiced his opinion on education in vernacular languages. Due to his efforts, the British Government introduced vernaculars in universities alongside English and agreed to the establishment of the Oriental College in Lahore in 1866. His efforts won praises from the natives and the officials.
He was Chairman of the Sind, Panjab and Delhi Railway before he retired and settled in London. He died from the effects of an accident at Gloucester Road station on the London Underground. The nearby McLeod's Mews was allegedly named after him.
He had pronounced religious opinions and was a philanthropist. Sir John Lawrence called him "cunctator", i.e. having a tendency to procrastinate or avoid confrontation.
After his death, his collection of some 2,000 books was purchased in 1873 by the newly established University College, Lahore as the .
He is buried on the east side of the south section of the central north-south path in Kensal Green Cemetery in London.

Memory