Govind Ballabh Pant was born on 10 September, 1887, in Khoont village near Almora, in a Karhade Brahmin family. Pant studied at Allahabad University and subsequently worked as a lawyer in Kashipur.

In 1921, he entered politics and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. Known as an extremely capable lawyer, Pant was appointed by the Congress party to initially represent Ramprasad Bismill, Ashfaqulla Khan and other revolutionaries involved in the Kakori case in the mid-1920s. In 1940, Pant was arrested and imprisoned for helping organize the Satyagraha movement. In 1942 he was arrested again, this time for signing the Quit India resolution.

His judicious reforms and stable governance in Uttar Pradesh stabilized the economic condition of the most populous State of India. Among his achievements in that position was the abolition of the zamindari system. Also, he passed the Hindu Code Bill and made monogamy compulsory for Hindu men and gave the Hindu women the rights of divorce and inheritance to ancestral property.

He served as Union Home Minister from 1955 to 1961. As Home Minister, his chief achievement was the re-organization of States along linguistic lines. He was also responsible for the establishment of Hindi as an official language of the central government and a few states. During this time, Pant was awarded the Bharat Ratna on 26 January, 1957.

In 1960, he suffered a heart attack. His health started deteriorating and he died on 7 March, 1961, at the age of 74, from a cerebral stroke. At that time he was still in office as the Home Minister of India.

He is remembered as one of the architects of modern India.