W. H. Sleeman

Sir William Henry Sleeman (1788-1856) was a British soldier and administrator in British India, known for his efforts to suppress the criminal organization known as Thuggee. He also made significant contributions to paleontology and discovered the holotype specimen of the sauropod dinosaur Titanosaurus indicus in Jabalpur in 1828. Sleeman joined the Bengal Army in 1809 and later served in the Nepal War. In 1820, he was selected for civil employment and held various administrative positions in different districts of India. He displayed linguistic prowess, becoming fluent in Hindi-Urdu and familiar with other regional languages. In addition to his administrative work, Sleeman made important contributions to the fields of paleontology and ethnography. He discovered dinosaur fossils in India and documented his findings. He also wrote about cases of wild children raised by wolves, which inspired Rudyard Kipling's character Mowgli in "The Jungle Book." Sleeman's most significant achievement was his work in suppressing the Thuggee criminal society. He captured key members and obtained evidence that led to the execution or transportation Thugs. Sleeman served as Resident at Gwalior and Lucknow, surviving multiple assassination attempts. He died at sea in 1856 and was buried near Ceylon. His legacy includes his contributions to Indian administration, paleontology, and the suppression of Thuggee.