W.C. Bonnerjee was born in Calcutta on this day. He was the first president of the Indian National Congress.
He had studied at Oriental Seminary and Hindu School in Calcutta.
In 1864, he left for England to study law, where he joined the Middle Temple. On his return he began practice as a barrister in Calcutta and was very successful. He was the first Indian to act as a Standing Counsel and he famously defended nationalist Surendra Nath Banerjea in a contempt of court case at Calcutta High Court.
He was a moderate in politics. He presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress that was held at Bombay in 1885 from December 28 to 30. At the 1886 session in Calcutta, he proposed a Congress standing committee in each province for better coordination. He was the president of the Indian National Congress again in the 1892 session.
He was severely critical of the jury system in India and the salt tax, which was later to play such an important role under Gandhiji’s leadership of the freedom struggle.
In London, he had established Indian political societies with Dadabhai Naoroji. He moved to England later and contested the elections there unsuccessfully. He died in London on July 21, 1906.
Before he had left for England to study law, he had helped Girish Chandra Ghosh to start the newspaper Bengalee.
