GOKHALE, GOPAL KRISHNA Indian politician, was born at Kolhapur of a humble Chitpavan Brahman family. Graduating at the Elphinstone college, Bombay, in 1884, he joined, as professor of history and political economy, the group of teachers at the Fergusson college, Poona, pledged to serve for 20 years on a merely nominal salary. He remained on the staff, finally as principal, until 1902.
He was associated with the Indian National Congress from the beginning, and was for some years its joint secretary. In 1897 he paid the first of several visits to England, and gave evidence before the Royal Commission on Indian Expenditure. From then onwards he specialized as a critic of Indian official finance. In 1902 he became a member of the Bombay Legislature and was then elected to represent the non-official members thereof in the viceregal legislature. His persuasive eloquence, close reasoning and accurate knowledge of the subjects discussed, and instincts of statesmanship won him the Indian leadership, and Lord Curzon recognized his earnest patriotism by nominating him for the C.I.E. in 1904.
Consulting him freely in reference to his projected constitu tional reforms, Lord Morley wrote of him to the viceroy as appre ciating executive responsibility and having an eye for the tactics of common sense (Recollections, vol. 2, p. 181, 1917). He was fiercely assailed by the extremist section, which never succeeded in his lifetime in capturing the congress machinery. In 1905 he became president of that body, on the occasion of its meeting at Benares. In the same year he founded at Poona his Servants of India Society, whose members take vows of poverty and lifelong service to their country in a religious spirit. In the enlarged vice regal legislature set up in 1910 Gokhale was the commanding Indian figure. His quickness in debate, the attractive literary style of his speeches, his studied moderation, and the care which he took to master his subjects, made him a most effective critic of the Government, though he indignantly disclaimed the title of the leader of an opposition party.
Besides his brilliant handling of general topics, and more par ticularly of the annual budgets, he promoted measures for com pulsory education on a basis of local option, but did not survive to see this principle introduced from 1918 onwards in all the large provinces. Though his last years were clouded by illness he went to South Africa to acquaint himself at first hand with the grievances of Indians in that country. His last public duty was to serve as a member of the Indian Public Services Commission (1912-15). His death at Poona on Feb. 19, 1915, was a severe blow to the Constitutional party at a critical moment in India's political history. His last political testament, entrusted on his death-bed to the Aga Khan, was published in Aug. 1917, and outlined plans of reform based on provincial autonomy. Gokhale's intense patriotism, powerful grasp of facts and great industry raised him head and shoulders above his contemporaries ; and his moderation, invariable courtesy and lofty personal character marked him out as one of the last and greatest of the old school of congress politicians before the age of non-co-operation.
See Speeches of the Honourable Mr. G. K. Gokhale (Madras igo8, 3rd ed., 192o) ; R. P. Parsnjpye, Gopal Khrishna Gokhale (1915) .