Daly, Sir Henry Dermot (1821–95), Indian army general and colonial administrator, was born 25 October 1821 at Daly's Grove, Co. Galway, the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Dermot Daly of the 4th light dragoons, and his first wife Mary (née McIntosh), the daughter of Captain Hugh McIntosh of the 16th light dragoons. Daly was commissioned ensign in the 1st Bombay European regiment in September 1840, and arrived in Bombay a month later. A talented linguist, he quickly learned several Indian languages and qualified as a staff interpreter in 1841. He saw active service in the Sikh Wars (1845–9) and was present at the battles of Multan (1848) and Gujarat (1849). In May 1849 he raised a regiment of native horse, the 1st Punjab cavalry, which he subsequently commanded. This unit was involved in Sir Charles Napier's campaigns against the hill tribes (1850–52) and in 1854 Daly was made captain.
At the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny (May 1857) Daly was given command first of the Oude irregular force and later the queen's own corps of guides, a mixed infantry and cavalry force. He took the corps of guides from Mardan to Delhi, departing 12 May 1857, and covered the march of 580 miles in an astonishing 26 days during the height of the hot season. Wounded twice at the siege of Delhi (June to September 1857) he commanded a regiment of Hodson's horse at the capture of Lucknow in March 1858. After the death of William Hodson (12 March 1858), he took command of the three regiments of Hodson's horse and campaigned with Sir Hope Grant in Oude. Recognised as an expert on the use of irregular cavalry, he was present with his unit at the action at Nawabganj in June 1858 and the forcing of the passages of the Gumti and the Gogra rivers. He finished the campaign as a lieutenant-colonel and travelled home on leave in May 1859.
On returning to India in late 1861 he was appointed as the commanding officer of the Central India horse and also as political assistant for Western Malwa. In 1870 he became a major-general and in the following year agent to the governor-general for Central India. Created KCB in May 1875, Daly was promoted to lieutenant-general two years later and retired from active service in 1882. He stood unsuccessfully for parliament as a liberal unionist for Dundee in 1886 and 1888. He was promoted to full general in 1888 and made GCB in 1889. He died 21 July 1895 at Ryde House, Isle of Wight.
Daly was married twice: first in 1851 to Susan Ely Ellen Kilpatrick; they had five sons and three daughters. After her death he married in 1882 Charlotte (née Coape), the widow of A. C. Sterling Murray-Dunlop, and they had one son. Several of his sons had distinguished military careers.