The British Association Committee on Electrical Standards was appointed in 1861. In early years, its principal object was to determine the unit of resistance and then to prepare the best material standard for it. After 1880, the Committee was reappointed to redetermine the standard of resistance and also to determine the units of other electrical quantities, such as current, electromotive force and capacity. In 1912, the Committee handed over all its work to the newly founded National Physical Laboratory and then was dissolved finally. This paper aims at analyzing the internal impetus and the external motive force of this Committee in the milieu of nineteenth century Victorian England. First, it is shown that Maxwell's emphasis on the role of precise measuring experiment and then his career as a director of Cavendish Laboratory were closely related with the Committee's work during 1860s and 1870s, and that Rayleigh and Glazebrook faithfully succeeded him. Secondly, technical and industrial demand for standards and standardization is considered as a major factor which brought about the appointment of the Committee in 1861, and the reappointment in 1880. But the discrepancy between such demands and the actual results of that Committee is also analyzed. Finally, it is shown that, after 1890, several scientists' endeavor to get financial support of the government was an important factor, that transformed the BA Committee into the National Physical Laboratory.