Previous Year Question
Who established Fort William College in Calcutta in the year 1800?
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Fort William College was established in Calcutta in 1800
by Lord Richard Wellesley.
A historical study available through the library of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Government of India, explicitly states that the College of Fort William was founded in 1800 by Lord Wellesley, the then Governor-General of India.
At that time, Lord Wellesley was the Governor-General. The principal purpose of the college was to prepare newly appointed East India Company civil servants for administration in India. They were trained in Indian languages, laws, customs and local conditions. An archival academic study of the University of North Bengal also confirms both its establishment by Wellesley in 1800 and this training objective.
Warren Hastings → associated with the Calcutta Madrasa, 1781
Jonathan Duncan → associated with the Benares Sanskrit College, 1791/1792
Richard Wellesley → associated with Fort William College, 1800.