Herbert William Emerson

Sir Herbert William Emerson, (1 June 1881 — 13 April 1962) was a civil servant in British India and served as the Governor of Punjab in the 1930s. Emerson University Multan was earlier known as Emerson College Multan, named after Sir Emerson's services as Governor Punjab in 1930.

Early life He was born on 1 June 1881, at 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 at Punjab. Between 1911 and 1914, he served as the Manager of the princely state of Bushahr. Emerson served as Governor until his retirement in April 1938. He was an active writer, recording local customs and publicizing his opinions.

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

Indian legacy He was portrayed by a British actor Ryan Jonathan in the 2002 Bollywood film The Legend of Bhagat Singh. In the film, he had been wrongly portrayed as a Home Member of Viceroy's Executive Council while he had actually been a Home Secretary of the Government of India. In it, his appearance also differs from his real one as he is shown having a moustache while he actually did not have any. Sir Herbert is also portrayed in the film Jinnah (1998). He is shown as Governor of Punjab along with his deputy Sikandar Hayat meeting with Gandhi and Nehru. Sir Herbert played a key role in education in Punjab. Emerson College in Multan was established in 1920 in his honour. The college is now known as Emerson University.

Literature Oxford Biography Index Number 101067177