John W. Tyler

Sir John William Tyler FRCS (Edin.) CIE ( – 12 May 1913) was a British surgeon and superintendent of the central prison in Agra, India, a position he held for 14 years. While superintendent he developed the prison as an important manufacturing centre for high-quality carpets. In 1886, he escorted 34 Indians, mostly prisoners, to the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 in London, where their craftsmanship in weaving carpets was displayed. At Queen Victoria's request, he recruited the servant Abdul Karim, later known as "the Munshi", who served her for the last 14 years of her life.

Tyler was initially posted to the civil surgeoncy in the North-Western Provinces, before being appointed as superintendent of the prison at Meerut, and thereafter at Agra. He was knighted in 1888. In 2017, he was portrayed in the film Victoria & Abdul.

Early life and education John Tyler was born on 6 December 1839. He became fluent in Hindustani. He received his basic education at Doveton College in Calcutta (now Kolkata), before gaining admission to Calcutta Medical College to study medicine. He donated one such Persian carpet to British civil servant and scholar Frederic Growse for the Catholic church at Mathura, built in the 1870s.

Visits to London "The Queen Opening the Colonial and Indian Exhibition: Procession passing the principal entrance to the Indian Palace", The Illustrated London News, May 1886. In 1886, in his "special duty", Most were prisoners of Agra Central Jail, and they came to be known as "Dr Tyler's artisans". During the trip, he was requested by Queen Victoria to select two Indian servants to assist her at her Golden Jubilee celebrations. Karim had earlier chosen two gold bangles for Tyler to give to the Queen. Two days later, the Queen sent Tyler a telegram requesting that both he and Karim return to Buckingham Palace. Karim, later known as "the Munshi", served the Queen for the last 14 years of her life. In 1890 he was promoted to Inspector general of jails for the North-Western Provinces, and retired in 1896.

Family Tyler was married and had one son.

Death and legacy Tyler died in London at the age of 73 on 12 May 1913. He was portrayed by actor Simon Paisley Day in the 2017 film Victoria & Abdul.