Mohammad Usman of Madras

Usman was born to Mohammad Yakub who belonged to an aristocratic family of Tanjore,[2] Madras Presidency in 1884.[3] Usman graduated from the Madras Christian College[4][5] and joined the South Indian Liberal Federation. Usman practised Unani medicine and acquired a reputation as an efficient physician.[6][7]

Usman was elected to the Madras Legislative Council as a Justice Party candidate in 1920 and served as a legislator from 1920 to 1923.[8] Usman served as the President of the Corporation of Madras in 1924–25[9] and as the Shera of Madras in 1924.[9] In October 1921,[7] the Raja of Panagal, the Chief Minister of Madras, established a committee on Indigenous Systems of Medicine.[10] He appointed Usman, the Secretary of the committee.[7][10] In 1922, this Committee concluded that Ayurveda was based on genuine scientific theories and noted that its practice has been waning over the years.[11] On 30 March 1925, Usman was appointed member of the executive council of the Governor of Madras.[12] He was elected president of the Muhammedan Education Association of South India in 1930.[13]

When the Raja of Bobbili took over as the Chief Minister or Premier of the Madras Presidency, Usman was made the Minister of Home in the provincial government. However, Usman resigned in 1934 recommending A. T. Panneerselvam as his successor.[14] Muslims of the Madras Presidency felt betrayed that Usman had not recommended a Muslim for the post and strongly opposed the candidature of Panneerselvam who was a Christian.[14] Violent Muslim-Christian riots erupted in the province.[14] Though the riots were eventually quelled, the incidents radicalized public opinion, both Muslim and Christian, against the Justice Party.

In 1935, Usman became the first Indian President of the Rotary Club of Madras.[15]

Usman served as the acting Governor of Madras from 16 May 1934 to 16 August 1934.[16] He was the first Indian to act as the Governor of Madras.[16]

The British trusted Usman and considered him loyal.[17] He served as a member of the Indian Defence Council in 1941–42 and as the Vice-Chancellor of Madras University from 1940 to 1942.[18]

On 2 July 1942, the Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow, expanded his Executive Council to nineteen members, bringing in Usman, Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, B. R. Ambedkar, Sir Jogendra Singh, and Sir J. P. Srivastava. This took the number of Indian members of the Council to fourteen, with five Europeans.[19] Usman was made the member for Posts and Air.[4][18]

Usman's political views, according to the next Viceroy, Wavell, were "such that even a hardened Tory might regard as reactionary", and Wavell later noted in his journal that Usman "believed that God never meant India to be independent".[20][21]

At a conference of Post Masters General shortly after the end of the Second World War, Usman said of the need to improve postal and telegraph services "We have won the War. We have now to win the peace."[22]

Usman died on 1 February 1960 at the age of 76.[3]

Usman was knighted in the 1928 Birthday Honours[23] and made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire in the 1933 New Year Honours.[24] On 14 June 1945, he was appointed a KCSI.[25]

Usman Road, a thoroughfare in T. Nagar, Chennai is named after him.

• More, J. B. Prashant (1997). The Political Evolution of Muslims in Tamilnadu and Madras, 1930–1947. Orient Longman.