Q. In 1805, the East India Company established the East India College at Haileybury, Hertfordshire, to replace Lord Wellesley's extensive training project in Calcutta. For nearly half a century, this institution held a virtual monopoly over the education of covenanted civil servants before the competitive exam system was introduced. Who among the following British political economists held the inaugural chair of History and Political Economy at Haileybury College?
Answer: Thomas Robert Malthus
Notes: Thomas Robert Malthus (Correct): In 1805, Thomas Robert Malthus (famous for his population theories) was appointed as the first professor of history and political economy at the East India College in Haileybury. He taught young British recruits the principles of political economy, rent theories, and markets before they were shipped to India to manage revenue collections. David Ricardo (Incorrect): While his theories on economic rent deeply influenced land revenue settlements in India (especially the Ryotwari system), he never taught at Haileybury. James Mill and John Stuart Mill (Incorrect): Both were highly influential utilitarian thinkers who worked inside the Leadenhall Street office of the East India Company as examiners of correspondence, but neither held the foundational teaching chair at Haileybury.