Thomas Austin (civil servant)

Sir Thomas Austin KCIE (20 July 1887 – 1976) was a British civil servant of the Indian civil service and administrator who served as the Diwan of Travancore from 1932 to 1934.

Early life

Thomas Austin was born in 1887 to a British clergyman, Rev. T. Austin. He was educated at Plymouth College and Jesus College, Cambridge.

Indian civil service

Thomas Austin entered the Indian civil service in 1910 and served in various junior position before being appointed District Collector of Nilgiris in 1929. He served as Collector of Nilgiris from 1929 to 1932 when he was appointed Diwan of Travancore on a two-year contract. In his later life, Austin also served as Chief Secretary of the Government of Madras.

Death

Austin died in the 1976 at the age of 89.

Honours

Austin was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire in 1945.

Austin Town in the city of Bangalore, India is named after Thomas Austin who had built houses for low-income groups in the Cantonment section of the city.