Herbert William Emerson

Sir Herbert William Emerson, GCIE, KCSI, CBE (1 June 1881 — 13 April 1962), commonly known as HW Emerson, was a civil servant in British India and served as Governor of the Punjab in the 1930s.

Early life

He was born on 1 June 1881 in West Kirby, England to Stephen S. Emerson and Emelia Susan Emerson. He was educated at Calday Grange School and Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Career

Early career

He was appointed to the Indian Civil Service in 1904 and served as an Assistant Commissioner in the Punjab. Between 1911 and 1914 he served as Manager of the princely state of Bushahr. In 1916 he became Superintendent and Settlement Officer of Mandi State. The following year he was made an Assistant Commissioner and Settlement Officer in the Punjab, and in 1922 became Deputy Commissioner.

Home Secretary

From 1930 to 11 April 1933, he served as the Home Secretary of The Government of British India succeeding Harry Graham Haig. In the role, Emerson had talks with Mahatma Gandhi over release of political prisoners after Civil Disobedience Movement. He and the Viceroy Lord Irwin agreed to for negotiation and resulted in Gandhi-Irwin Pact which conditioned the release but only of those who have not been accused of violent oppression. Due to this, three revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev & Rajguru, who had been accused for brutally murdering ASP John Saunders in late 1928, were hanged in the Central Jail of Lahore in the evening of 23 March 1931.

There was great public furore after their hanging. In many places protests and strikes took place against the British Government's unjust decision to hang them after an illegitimate trial where they were not even chanced to be defended. People even protested against Emerson to be just working on the order of Viceroy and not bearing any decisive powers.

Governor of Punjab

In 1933 he was appointed Governor of the Punjab and Sir Maurice Hallett took over as Home Secretary. The following year he took leave from the role and was deputised for four months by Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan. Emerson served as Governor until his retirement in April 1938.

Other Home Secretaries before Emerson

Here is a probable list of Home Secretaries of British Government who had served before Emerson —

1. Sir Herbert Hope Risley — 1904-1913
2. Sir William Sinclair Marris — 1913-1916
3. Sir James Houssemayne Du Boulay — 1916-1919
4. Sir SR Hignell — 1919-1921
5. Sir HD Craik — 1921-1926
6. Sir Harry Graham Haig — 1926-1930

Later life

On 23 September 1938, he became League of Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees, and later Director of the Inter-Governmental Committee on Refugees, dealing primarily with Russian and European Jewish refugees. He was an active writer, recording local customs and publicizing his opinions.

He died at the age of 80 on 13 April 1962 in London.

Literature

• Oxford Biography Index Number 101067177