>Adavidb at 15:35, 5 March 2019

2019-03-05T15:35:07Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox Officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Benjamin George Holdsworth
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| imagesize =250px
| smallimage =
| caption =
| office1 = [[Diwan (title)|Diwan]] of [[Pudukkottai]]
| term_start1 = 1931
| term_end1 = 1934
| monarch1 = [[Rajagopala Tondaiman]]
| predecessor1 = [[T. Raghavaiah]]
| successor1 = [[Alexander Tottenham]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1892|7|31|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1949|7|24|1892|7|31|df=y}}
| death_place =
| nationality =
| party =
| spouse =
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| occupation =[[civil servant]]
| profession =
| religion =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}

'''Benjamin George Holdsworth''' <small>[[Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]]</small> (31 July 1892 – 24 February 1943) was an Indian civil servant and administrator who served as the [[Diwan (title)|Diwan]] of [[Pudukkottai state]] from 1931 to 1933.

== Early life ==

Holdsworth was born on 31 July 1892 to Rev. J. Forrester Holdsworth. He had his education at [[Bristol Grammar School]] and [[Brasenose College, Oxford]] and entered the [[Indian Civil Service]] in 1919.

During the [[First World War]], Holdsworth served in [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] with the 1/155 Pioneers.

== In India ==

From 1920 to 1927, Holdsworth served as a settlement officer in the [[Tanjore District (Madras Presidency)|Tanjore]], [[Kistna]] and Godavari districts. He was Secretary in the Board of Revenue, [[Madras Presidency]], from 1927 to 1930 and Joint Secretary at the First Indian Round Table Conference.

=== Pudukkottai ===

In November 1931, Holdsworth was appointed Diwan of Pudukkottai<ref name="madrasp509">{{cite book|title=Madras District Gazetteers: Pudukkottai|publisher=Superintendent, Govt. Press|page=509|year=1983}}</ref> and he served from 1931 to 1934. Holdsworth was responsible for the creation of the [[Holdsworth Dam]] in Pudukkottai which is named after him.<ref name="manualpkp239">{{cite book|title=Manual of the Pudukkóttai State|volume=1|year=2002|first=K. R. Venkatarama|last=Ayyar|publisher=Director of Museums, Govt. of Tamil Nadu|page=239}}</ref> The [[Holdsworth Park]] in the princely state is also named after Holdsworth.<ref name="manualpkp310">{{cite book|title=Manual of the Pudukkóttai State|volume=1|year=2002|first=K. R. Venkatarama|last=Ayyar|publisher=Director of Museums, Govt. of Tamil Nadu|page=310}}</ref>

Holdsworth was relieved in 1934 and succeeded by [[Alexander Tottenham]], of whom, Holdsworth remarked that the people of Pudukkottai state were fortunate to get as Diwan.<ref name="nagarajanp59">{{cite book|title=Sir Alexander Tottenham|first=Krishnaswami|last=Nagarajan|publisher=N. Ramachandran|year=1992|page=59}}</ref>

== Later life and honours ==

In 1942, Holdsworth was appointed Secretary to the Indian Food Department and served till his death. Holdsworth died on 24 February 1943 at the age of fifty-one following complications from a tooth infection; there was a shortage of penicillan due to supplies being redirected for the war effort. He is buried in New Delhi.

In 1941, Holdsworth was made a [[Order of the Indian Empire|Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire]].<ref name="londongazettep7">{{cite news|title=Supplement to the London Gazette|date=1 January 1941|url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/35029/supplements/7/page.pdf|page=7}}</ref>

== Family ==

Holdsworth was the eldest of four children. His two younger brothers, Joseph and Wesley, were both killed in WW1. His sister was called Edith.

In 1920, Holdsworth married Ellen May, daughter of James Hill of Poltimore. The couple had one son, Peter, who rose to the rank of Brigadier in the British Army, and one daughter, Pamela.

== Notes ==

{{reflist|30em}}

== References ==

* {{cite book|title=Who was who: a companion to Who's who : containing the biographies of those who died during the period|volume=2|publisher=A & C Black|year=1967|page=553}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holdsworth, B. G.}}
[[Category:1892 births]]
[[Category:1949 deaths]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Pudukkottai state]]

B. G. Holdsworth - Revision history

>Adavidb at 15:35, 5 March 2019