Sir Arthur Cotton
| Sir Arthur Cotton | |
|---|---|
Sir Arthur Cotton
|
|
| Born | 15 May 1803 Combermere, Cheshire, England |
| Died | July 24, 1899 (aged 96) Dorking, Surrey, England |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
Madras Army British Army |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | First Anglo-Burmese War |
General Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton KCSI (15 May 1803 – 24 July 1899) was a British general and irrigation engineer.
Cotton devoted his life to the construction of irrigation and navigation canals throughout British India. He helped many people by building Prakasam barrage, dhavaleshvaram dam and Kurnool-cuddapah canal. His dream was only partially realised, but he is still honoured in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu for his efforts. Sir Arthur Cotton museum has been built in his honour in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. The museum holds approximately one hundred images and 15 machine tools that Cotton used when constructing the barrage in Andhra Pradesh from 1847 to 1852.
He entered the Madras Engineers in 1819, and fought in the First Burmese War. He was knighted in 1861.
An evangelist, he was the father of fellow evangelist Elizabeth Hope.
Arthur Cotton was born on 15 May 1803 at Combermere, the tenth son of Henry Calvely Cotton, uncle of the noted Field Marshal Lord Combermere, and one of eleven brothers. In 1818, aged 15, he became a cadet at the East India Company's military seminary at Addiscombe, Surrey. He passed out in December 1819, and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Madras Engineer Group.
He started his career with the Ordnance Survey at Bangor, North Wales, in January 1820, where he was praised for his reports. In 1821 he was appointed for service in India, where he was initially attached to the Chief Engineer to Madras. He was later appointed as an Assistant Engineer to Superintending Engineer of the Tank Department.
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