Tapan Raychaudhuri (8 May 1926– 26 November 2014) was an Indian historian specialising in British Indian history, Indian economic history and the History of Bengal. He was a student of Ballygunge Government High School, Calcutta and Barisal Zilla School, Scottish Church College, Calcutta, where he completed his I.A. and finally Presidency College, Calcutta, where he completed his B.A. (Hons.) in history with a high first class. He completed his first D.Phil. in history at Calcutta University under the supervision of Sir Jadunath Sarkar and his second D.Phil. at Balliol College, Oxford under the supervision of Dr. C.C. Davies. He started his career as a lecturer at the Department of Islamic History and Culture, Calcutta University. After his return from Britain he became a deputy director of the National Archives of India. He was a reader and then professor of history and director of the Delhi School of Economics and also of the department of history of Delhi University. He was first a reader in Modern South Asian History and then professor of Indian History and Civilization and fellow of St. Antony's College, Oxford from 1973-93. He was an emeritus fellow of St. Antony's College, Oxford after retirement. He became a national research professor in India in 2010 Awards:

1. Watumull Prize awarded by the American Historical Association, 1982. (jointly with Irfan Habib) for the Cambridge Economic History of India.
2. Doctor of Letters 1993, University of Oxford.
3. Doctor of Letters honoris causa by the University of Calcutta.
4. Doctor of Letters honoris causa by the University of Burdwan.
5. Padma Bhushan in 2007 in recognition to his contributions to history.