Biden, then serving as vice president, was referring to a Mumbai resident who, he said, shared his last name and had written to him in 1972, claiming they were both descendants of someone who worked for the former. East India company. Biden, who was 29 at the time and had just been elected to the United States Senate, said he wanted to follow up on the claim but couldn’t.
A few years later, during another speech, Biden said that his “great, great, great, great grandfather George Biden” was a captain in the East India Company who settled in India and married an Indian woman.
Although there are no records of a George Biden, two brothers named Christopher Biden and William Henry Biden served as captains in the East India Company, according to Gateway House, a group of foreign policy experts based in Mumbai.
Christopher was 12 years old and his brother even younger when they started as a third and fourth companion on the route between London and India through the Cape of Good Hope. In 1821, Christopher captained the Princess charlotte from Wales and made four return trips between England and Calcutta. He was also captain of the new Royal George (1,426 tons) on one voyage. Each return trip lasted a year, wrote Tim Willasey-Wilsey, visiting professor in the department of war studies at King’s College London.
William died of a stroke in Rangoon (now Rangoon) in 1843, when he was 51 years old. Christopher settled in India and became a well-known figure in Madras (now Chennai).
In 1830, Christopher wrote a book, “Naval Discipline: Subordination Contrast with Insubordination: or a vision of the need to pass a law establishing a Naval discipline on Board Ships in Merchant-Service ”, which is still available online. From managing a diverse crew and passengers on small ships during long tax trips to tales of drunkenness, robbery, murder, mental health issues, and sailing through storms, reefs and shipwrecks, the tome is a collection of fascinating stories.
Christopher was married to Harriott Freeth and the couple had a son and two daughters, one of whom died on a return trip to India and was buried at sea.
During his 19 years in Madras, Christopher became known for his diligence, kindness and commitment to the well-being of the orphans and widows of sailors of all nationalities, including Indians. He also worked to improve maritime safety. His son, Horatio, became a colonel in the Madras Artillery.
In 1858, Christopher died in Madras. His grave and memorial stone are in Madras Cathedral, with a portrait of him with his pet dog. Chennai Museum The portal’s list of inscriptions on tombs or monuments in Madras Volume I mentions that “Christopher Biden was committed to his post and fell into the hands of a band of fanatics on September 11”.
Several established historians, however, have yet to find any direct connection between Christopher and Joe biden. Some have dismissed any connection between the two, especially since Christopher was not married to an Indian.
“You are talking about a George Biden, and Christopher Biden is not known to have married an Indian. They don’t add up. There must be a separate George Biden, somewhere else, “said historian V Sriram.
Historian and novelist William Dalrymple said: “I just read the article myself, but I have no details.”
Despite the incomplete information, if the president-elect has an ancestor who worked for the East India Company and lived in India, Christopher appears to be a likely candidate for a late opportunity of a different kind of fame.
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