Charles Ollivant

Sir Edward Charles Kayll Ollivant, KCIE (b. 1846) was a senior member of the Indian Civil Service who made a mark in his dealings with two notable politicians.

Ollivant had arrived in India in 1881. By 1892, he was Political Agent in Rajkot and had a notable disagreement with Mohandas Gandhi who was then a young barrister. The incident resulted in Gandhi being pushed out of the room, and ill-feeling was apparently a factor in his departure for South Africa in 1893.

Ollivant was knighted as a Knight Commander of the KCIE in 1892. He was a judicial member of the Council of the Governor of Bombay until April 1902. It was Ollivant who offered to hire Jinnah at 1,500 rupees per month and was notably turned down.

Ollivant is also known to have been a director of the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway.