CLIVE, ROBERT, 1ST BARON CLIVE OF PLASSEY

born , Sept. 29, 1725, Styche, Shropshire, Eng. died Nov. 22, 1774, London soldier and first British administrator of Bengal, who was one of the creators of British power in India. In his first governorship (175560) he won the Battle of Plassey and became master of Bengal. In his second governorship (176467) he reorganized the colony. Young Clive was a difficult boy and was sent to several schools, including the Merchant Taylors' School in London, without much visible profit. In 1743, when 18, he was sent to Madras in the service of the English East India Company. Additional reading For Clive's Indian career, the best book is H.H. Dodwell, Dupleix and Clive (1920, reprinted 1968); and for his relations with the East India Company in Britain, see Lucy Sutherland, The East India Company in 18th Century Politics (1952). Both works are of outstanding merit. A detailed but uncritical biography is G.W. Forrest, The Life of Lord Clive, 2 vol. (1918); the best personal study is A.M. Davies, Clive of Plassey (1939).