John Stuart Donald

John Stewart Donald
Born	1 September 1861 Ferozepore, India
Died	30 July 1948 Cyprus
Occupation	British Indian government service
Spouse(s)	Henrietta Mary Ommanney

John Stewart Donald was born on 1 September 1861 at Ferozepore, India, the son of Alexander John Stewart Donald and Suzanna Briten Hilliard. He was educated at Bishop Cotton School in Simla and in 1882 he joined the Punjab Provincial Civil Service. During the first seven years he was engaged in magisterial and executive duties but his talents were soon recognised and in 1889 he was appointed assistant to Sir Robert Sandeman who at that time was opening up communications with Baluchistan, Waziristan and the Punjab. In 1890 he was put in charge of the newly opened Gomal Pass in South Waziristan and in the autumn of that year was attached to the Shirani Field Force of the Zhob Expedition which earned him a "Mention in Despatches". In recognition of his services he was appointed to the Imperial Civil Service. In August 1893 he accompanied Sir H. Mortimer Durand on a mission to Kabul for negotiations with the Emir of Afghanistan on the Afghan-India border dispute. For this work he was awarded the C.I.E. and given the Afghan decoration Izzat-i-Afghaniand a ceremonial sword by the Emir.

John Stewart Donald had a flair for languages which undoubtedly helped his career. Apart from the Punjabi of his birthplace he was also fluent in Pashtu-Waziri and other dialects. This enabled him to speak and negotiate directly with tribal leaders which proved to be beneficial in establishing many favourable relationships. During 1897 -97 he spent a year in Moscow studying the Russian language and then went to London and qualified as an interpreter at the civil service examinations in London.

On return to India he spent the next few years in appointments on the North West Frontier are and in 1903 he served as British Commissioner on the Anglo-Afghan Boundary Commission which led to his appointment in 1908 to the newly established civil administrative position as Resident in Waziristan. In 1911 he was awarded the C.S.I. He was appointed Chief Commissioner and Agent to the Governor General in the North West Frontier Province during 1913-15 and was made an additional Member of the Imperial Legislative Council of India. In 1915 he was knighted with the award of the K.C.S.I. In 1917 he was sent back to Waziristan to negotiate a peace settlement among tribes in the area. He retired in April 1920 and left India to settle in England.

Sir John Stewart Donald had five brothers and all served the government in India in various capacities. Douglas Donald C.S.I., C.I.E., C.B.E. became Deputy Inspector General of the Punjab Police, Duncan Donald K.P.M.,O.B.E. was a District Superintendent of Police, Ranald Donald served in the Punjab Judiciary, William Donald served in the Public Works Department and Charles Hilliard Donald was Warden of the Pubjab Game and Fisheries Department and was the author of several books on wildlife in India.

Sir John married Henrietta Mary Ommanney, daughter of Colonel Edward Lacon Ommanney C.S.I., in 1905 in London. They had two sons and two daughters.

Note: C.I.E. - Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire

     C.S.I. - Companion of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India
     K.C.S.I - Knight Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire             
     K.P.M. - King's Police Medal
     C.B.E. - Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
     O.B.E. - Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

Sir John Stuart Donald (1861–1948) served as the Chief Commissioner of the North West Frontier Province of British India from 1913 till 1915.^[1]

He was appointed a CIE in 1894 and a CSI in 1911.

Notes

1. Provinces of British India