James Wilson | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:James_Wilson_by_Sir_John_Watson-Gordon.jpg) A portrait of James Wilson by Sir John Wilson Gordon, published in The Pursuit of Reason: The Economist 1843–1993. The portrait was presented to Mrs Wilson in 1859, by the Royal Scottish Academy. | |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 5 January 1853 – 21 February 1858 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Aberdeen The Viscount Palmerston |
| Preceded by | George Alexander Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | George Alexander Hamilton |
| Paymaster General and Vice-President of the Board of Trade | |
| In office 18 June 1859 – 12 August 1859 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Viscount Palmerston |
| Preceded by | Lord Lovaine |
| Succeeded by | Hon. William Cowper |
| Finance Member, Viceroy's Executive Council | |
| In office December 1859 – 11 August 1860 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor‑General | Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning |
| Prime Minister | The Viscount Palmerston |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Sir Samuel Laing |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 June 1805 Hawick, Roxburghshire, Scotland |
| Died | 11 August 1860 (aged 55) Calcutta, India |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Whig Liberal |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Preston |
| Children | 6 |
James Wilson (3 June 1805 – 11 August 1860) was a Scottish businessman, economist, and Liberal politician who founded The Economist weekly and the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, which merged with Standard Bank in 1969 to form Standard Chartered.[1][2][3][4] He was the first Finance Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council from December 1859 until his death in August 1860. Sent there to put order into the chaos that followed the "Sepoy Mutiny" of 1857, he presented India's first budget, and was responsible for the government accounting system, Pay Office, and audit, apart from government paper currency, Indian Police, a Military Finance Commission, and a Civil Finance Commission.[5]
- ^ "A Scotchman inside every man. (James Wilson, founder of The Economist)". The Economist. 11 September 1993.
- ^ James Wilson by Ruth Dudley Edwards in Oxford DNB
- ^ Ruth Dudley Edwards (1993). The Pursuit of Reason: The Economist 1843–1993. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business Press. ISBN 978-0-87584-608-8.
- ^ Michael Stenton, Who's Who of British MPs (Harvester, Sussex, 1976) ISBN 0-85527-219-8
- ^ Sreekumar, G. (20 January 2021). "From Hawick to Hawick: The story of The Economist founder James Wilson". Business Standard India. Retrieved 8 September 2021.