Sir George Townsend Boag KCIE CSI (1884–1969) was a British Indian civil servant, statistician and administrator who served as the Acting Governor of Odisha from 11 August 1938 to 8 December 1938.
George Townsend Boag was born on 12 November 1884 to Rev. George Boag, the Vicar of Winster in Westmorland.[1] He gained admission to Westminster School on 21 January 1897[1] and studied at the school from 1897 to 1903.[2] He was a Mure Scholar for the year 1901.[1] He obtained his baccalaureate and master's degrees from the University of Cambridge.[2] In 1907, he passed the Indian Civil Service examinations and was allotted to the Madras Presidency.[3]
Boag arrived in India in 1908 and served as a special settlement officer from 1912 to 1918.[3] He was appointed to the Indian Nutrition Board and served as the Collector of Transtuffs from 1912 to 1918.[3] From 1920 to 1922, Boag served as Superintendent of Census Operations for the Presidency succeeding J. C. Molony.[3] Boag served as the Municipal Commissioner for Madras from 1923 to 1925.[3] He was the Chief Secretary of Madras Presidency from 1925 to 1928 and 1934 to 1938.[4] Boag served as the District Collector of West Godavari in 1930 [4] before being appointed the Superintendent of the Madras Presidency Archives succeeding A. V. Venkatarama Ayyar on 19 August 1930.[5] Boag served as a member of the Indian Tariff Board from 1931 to 1933.[4]
On 11 August 1938 the Governor of Odisha, Sir John Austen Hubback proceeded on a leave.[6] Boag was appointed Acting Governor of Odisha in his stead and served from 11 August 1938 to 8 December 1938.[7] As the Acting Governor of Odisha, he inaugurated the opening session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly on 29 August 1938.[8]
On 12 September 1938 severe agitations broke out in the princely state of Dhenkanal demanding the abolition of stringent taxes.[9] The situation turned violent as the agitations intensified.[9] The Eastern States Agency, a federation of princely states of which Dhenkanal formed a part, resorted to police action.[9] Large scale arrests were carried out and there was police firing in some areas.[9] As a result of the disturbances in the neighbouring Dhenkanal, a large number of refugees poured into Odisha.[10] Boag kept the Viceroy of India regularly updated with the events at Dhenkanal.[10] The influx of refugees reached such alarming proportions that refugee camps had to be established along the border towns.[11]
On 8 December 1938 Sir John Austen Hubback returned from leave and resumed his duties as Governor of Odisha. Boag was transferred back to Madras Presidency where he served as a member of the Special Advisory Council during Governor's rule and was given charge of the public, finance and revenue departments.[12] He served in the Council from 1939 to 1943.[13] On 1943, he was appointed Diwan of Cochin and served from 1943 to 1944.[13][14]
George Townsend Boag was made a Companion of the Indian Empire in 1928 and a Companion of the Star of India in 1936.[2] He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire in 1941.[2]
Boag's official residence in Madras city was located at T. Nagar.[15] The street in which it was situated was named Boag Road in his honour. The house was later purchased by Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu.[15] In 1959, it was bought by Tamil film actor Sivaji Ganesan who renamed it Annai Illam.[15] Today, the house is owned by the actor's family who continue to reside here.[15]