Who was the first British President of Congress Party?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1: George Yule.
George Yule holds the distinction of being the first non-Indian to serve as the President of the Indian National Congress. He presided over the fourth session of the Indian National Congress, which was held in Allahabad in 1888. Yule was a prominent Scottish merchant and a liberal politician based in Calcutta (now Kolkata). His election as president symbolized the early, broad-based, and inclusive nature of the Congress Party, which, at that time, sought to represent diverse interests across different communities and even nationalities within India. His leadership demonstrated a willingness of the Congress to welcome support from sympathetic British individuals who believed in constitutional reforms and greater Indian representation in governance.

The incorrect option is 2: Lord Dufferin.
Lord Dufferin was the Viceroy of India from 1884 to 1888, during the period when the Indian National Congress was founded in 1885. While he was a significant figure in Indian history, he was a British administrator and not a member or president of the Congress Party. In fact, he expressed critical views towards the Congress, famously calling it a "microscopic minority."

The incorrect option is 3: A.O. Hume.
Allan Octavian Hume was a retired British civil servant who played a crucial role in the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885. He is often considered the "Father of the Indian National Congress." However, A.O. Hume served as the General Secretary of the Congress, not its President.

The incorrect option is 4: Pathic Lawrence.
Pathic Lawrence, more commonly known as Lord Pethick-Lawrence, was a British politician who served as the Secretary of State for India and Burma in the 1940s. He was a member of the Cabinet Mission to India in 1946, which aimed to discuss the transfer of power. His involvement with India came much later than the early years of the Congress, and he was never a president of the Indian National Congress.