Theodore Hope

Sir Theodore Cracraft Hope KCSI CIE (9 December 1831[1] – 4 July 1915[2]), often referred to as T. C. Hope, was a British born civil servant of the Government of India. His duties included Public Works, and he was an active layman of the Anglican Church.[3]

For the American lawyer, see Theodore Hope (lawyer).

Sir Theodore Cracraft Hope KCSI CIE
Born	(1831-12-09)9 December 1831
Died	4 July 1915(1915-07-04) (aged 83)
Burial place	Highgate Cemetery
Citizenship	British
Education	master's certificate
Alma mater	Rugby School, Haileybury
Occupation	Civil servant, writer
Employer	East India Company
Notable work	Gujarati Bhashanu Vyakaran (1858)
Spouse(s)	Josephine Fulton ( m. 1861)
Children	No
Parents	James Hope (father) Anne Hope (mother)

Life

Hope Bridge of Surat was built on Tapi river when he was district collector and magistrate. The bridge's foundation was laid in 1874 and it was completed in 1877. The bridge was dismantled in 2015 and replaced by new bridge keeping the old design of Hope Bridge.[4][5]

Born in 1831, Theodore Hope was the only child of Dr. James Hope, F.R.S., a wealthy physician at St George's Hospital, whose research in connection with heart disease was cut short by his death from consumption in middle life. Theodore's mother, Anne was an author. Hope was privately educated for the most part, with spells at Rugby School, and afterwards at Haileybury, then the East India Company's college. From frequent yachting practice abroad he was able to secure a master's certificate before he was 20; and when he joined the Bombay Civil Service in 1853 he spoke five European languages.[3]

Within two years of landing Hope became Inspector in Gujarat, India for the newly formed Education Department. With native scholars such as Dalpatram, he prepared a series of Gujarati textbooks later come to be known as Hope Vachanmala (Hope's Readers).[6] Next he served Sir George Clerk, the Governor, as private secretary, and then was given charge of the Ahmedabad district, where he pursued his archeological hobbies, and when he came home on long leave in 1865-66 he published three large works of the architectural monuments of Ahmedabad, Bijapur, and Dharwar. Returning to India, he spent eight years as Collector of Surat, and in 1871 he was called to Bombay, to preside over a committee appointed to deal with the unsatisfactory state of municipal finance. For a time he filled the post of the Commissioner there.[3]

He represented his province in the Viceregal Legislature in India and served also as secretary in the Revenue Department, and was made Secretary for Famine at the close of 1876. In 1880 he was appointed provisional member of the Bombay Government, but did not take up the post, as he was required at headquarters as Secretary of the Finance Department. In 1882 he became Public works Member of the Governor-General's Council and his 5½ years in that position were marked by a railway development which raised the open mileage from 8,000 to 14,000, and also by an advance of 20 per cent in the area of land brought under irrigation. He was made a C.I.E. in 1882, and a K.C.S.I. four years later. He left India in 1888.[3]

Sir Theodore married in 1866 to Josephine Fulton, the only daughter of Mr. J. W. Fulton, of Braidujle House, Co. Down. They had no children. He died on 4 July 1915 and is buried at Highgate Cemetery.[3]

He had published Gujarati Bhashanu Vyakaran (The grammar of Gujarati language) (1858) which was one of the earlier attempt to write grammar of Gujarati.[7]

References

1. "Index entry". FamilySearch. LDS. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
2. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
3. "Death Of Sir T. Hope. Thirty-Five Years' Work For India. (transcription)" (40899). London: The Times. 6 July 1915. p. 6; col B. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
4. "The reincarnation of Hope Bridge over Tapi". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
5. "Delhi gate flyover and new bridge in place of hope bridge ready for inauguration by March end". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
6. "World drawn by Gujarat magnet". The Times of India. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
7. Lal (1992). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot. Sahitya Akademi. p. 3967. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3.

External links

• Works by or about Theodore Hope at Internet Archive