Sir Alexander Phillips Muddiman (1875
- 1928), administrator in India
Muddiman was born in Leighton Buzzard 14th February
1875. He was the second son of Alexander Phillips Muddiman and
his wife Anne Griffiths. His father was a bookseller and publisher.
Alexander received his education at Wimborne School and University
College London. In 1897 he passed the Indian Civil Service examination
and in 1899 he joined the service in Bengal.
After three years he became an under-secretary to
the Bengal government, and then registrar on the appellate side
in the Calcutta high court. In 1910 he became deputy secretary
in the legislative department of the government of India and
was appointed as a representative of this government
on Lord Southborough's committee on franchises and other rules
of
business,
when it was on tour in
India and on a deputation to London from 1918 - 1919. His role
on the committee seems to have been primarily one of drafting.
He
subsequently was appointed president of the council of state, the
new central upper house.
In 1924 he became home member in the government of
India. He is remembered particularly for his pledge in 1925 which
was an early instance of positive discrimination, and which reserved
places for Muslims in the Indian Civil Service. The important focus
for him was the legislature.
1924 also saw Muddiman appointed to head a committee
to report on the workings of the Montagu - Chelmsford reforms.
The committee was appointed to resist a constitutional conference
demanded of the new British Labour government by the Swaraj Party
leader, Motilal Nehru. Muddiman's task was to produce consensus
on further concessions to prevent more radical revisions.
This task was made more complicated by calls to reverse
the reforms of 1919, rather than extend them, especially after
the formation of a Conservative government back in Britain, and
the appointment of the ignorant and slanderous Birkenhead as Secretary
of State for India.
After
18 months Muddiman had failed to produce a unaminous report from
his committee.
In 1922 Muddiman was knighted and in 1926 created
KCSI. In 1928 he was appointed governor of the United Provinces.
But after only six months in office, on 17th July 1928, at Naini
Tal he died of heart failure. He was unmarried. |