Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire

Victor Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire , Governor General of Canada 1916–1921

Coat of arms of Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire

Victor Christian William Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire KG GCMG GCVO PC JP FRS (born May 31, 1868 in Marylebone , London , † May 6, 1938 in Chatsworth House , Derbyshire , England ), was a British politician and the eleventh Governor General of Canada since the Canadian Confederation in 1867.

Life

Cavendish was born in the London borough of Marylebone as the eldest son of Lord Edward Cavendish (1838-1891), who was himself the third son of William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire . His mother Emma Lascelles (1838-1920) was the daughter of William Lascelles (and Lord Edwards cousin). Cavendish's younger brothers were Lord Richard Cavendish (1871-1946) and John Cavendish (1875-1914). His uncles were Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire and Lord Frederick Cavendish .

Cavendish initially was educated at Eton College , before moving on to the May 30, 1887 Trinity College of the University of Cambridge was admitted. There he became a member of the prestigious University Pitt Club . His father was a member of the House of Commons for West Derbyshire while studying at Cambridge. Cavendish temporarily served in a unit of the British Army , the Derbyshire Yeomanry , where he became Second Lieutenant in 1890 . In September 1901 he was promoted to major . In 1911 he left the British Army.

In May 1891, shortly before Cavendish graduated from Cambridge, his father died. He ran for the seat in the House of Commons , which had become vacant due to the death of his father, and was able to win it, making him the youngest member of the House of Commons to date. On July 30, 1892, he married Lady Evelyn FitzMaurice , the eldest daughter of the 5th Marquess of Lansdowne , then Viceroy of India , who had given up the office of Governor General of Canada five years earlier . They had seven children:

• Edward William Spencer Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (1895–1950) ⚭ 1917 Lady Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil (1895–1988), lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II ( Mistress of the Robes ; 1953–1967);
• Lady Maud Louisa Emma Cavendish (1896–1975), ⚭ (1) 1917 Captain Hon. Angus Mackintosh († 1918), ⚭ (2) 1923 Brigadier General George Evan Michael Baillie († 1941);
• Lady Blanche Katharine Cavendish (1898–1987) ⚭ 1919 Lt.-Col. Ivan Murray Cobbold († 1944);
• Lady Dorothy Evelyn Cavendish (1900–1966) ⚭ 1920 Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton (1894–1986); Prime Minister (1957–1963);
• Lady Rachel Cavendish (1902–1977) ⚭ 1923 James Stuart, 1st Viscount Stuart of Findhorn (1897–1971), Minister for Scotland (1951–1957);
• Lord Charles Arthur Francis Cavendish (1905-1944), Lt.-Col. ⚭ 1932 Adele Astaire (1896–1981);
• Lady Anne Cavendish (1909–1981), ⚭ (1) 1929–1945 Lt.-Col. Henry Philip Hunloke (1906–1978), ⚭ (2) 1949–1960 Christopher John Holland-Martin († 1960), politician, ⚭ (3) 1962–1965 ( canceled ) Alexander Montagu, 10th Earl of Sandwich (1906–1995 ), Politician.

Career

Cavendish, a member of the Liberal Unionists , was a Member of the House of Commons from 1891 to 1908 as MP for West Derbyshire. From 1900 to 1903 he served as Treasurer of the Household , from 1903 to 1905 as Financial Secretary to the Treasury . On December 11, 1905, Cavendish became a member of the Privy Council . In 1907 he was made Deputy Lieutenant of Derbyshire and since 1908 Honorary Colonel of the 5th Territorial Army Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters when he was on March 24, 1908 by his uncle Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire , whose title of nobility was Duke of Devonshire inherited, he had to give up his seat in the House of Commons and instead moved to the House of Lords . In the same year Cavendish was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire. In 1909 he was elected Chancellor of the University of Leeds and shortly thereafter elected to two offices as mayor, first for Eastbourne from 1909 to 1910, later for Chesterfield from 1911 to 1912. With the outbreak of World War I , Cavendish ended his political activities as far as she could went beyond honorary positions. From 1915 to 1916 he was Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty in the cabinet of HH Asquith . After the end of World War I, Cavendish became Honorary Colonel and Commandant of the Derbyshire Volunteer Regiment of the Volunteer Training Corps .

Governor General of Canada

On August 8, 1916, King George V agreed to British Prime Minister HH Asquith's recommendation to appoint Cavendish Governor General of Canada . Since the Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden had not previously been consulted, contrary to the usual practice at the time, this communication caused a political sensation and the beginning of Cavendish's term of office was affected by considerable difficulties between the two. Cavendish was inducted into office in a ceremony in Halifax on November 11, 1916 .

During this time, there was social tension in Canada. The movement in favor of women's suffrage grew in influence. Canada provided troops and material for the ongoing First World War, but did not register a sufficient number of volunteers. Shortly after taking office, Cavendish introduced conscription on the advice of Borden. The decision split Anglo and French Canadians and became known as the 1917 conscription crisis . In the same year Cavendish traveled to Nova Scotia to review the damage caused by the Halifax explosion on December 6, 1917.

The Canadian victory at the Battle of Vimy increased the pride and national feeling of the Canadians; the governor general, in his role as a liaison with the British government, used the military victory to foster a sense of community among the Canadian language groups. During his tenure, he always consulted with the Prime Minister and opposition leaders in Canada on the country's military role.

Cavendish took an active interest in the life of Canadians and made several trips to gain contact with the common people. As a British landowner, he showed a keen interest in Canadian agriculture, in particular in trade fairs, exhibitions and especially in the extraction of maple syrup in Gatineau . In his speeches he often addressed Canada's opportunities to take on a global pioneering role in the field of agricultural production. Cavendish was interested in art: when he was not traveling or in his residence, the Citadel of Québec , he would often visit the National Gallery or attend theater performances at Rideau Hall . There, on the grounds of the royal residence, the Cavendish family held sledding, ice skating and ice hockey competitions in winter. Devonshire made official visits to the United States in 1918 , where he met informally with President Woodrow Wilson . The following year he was a guest of Prince Edward, Prince of Wales during his first trip to Canada.

By the end of his tenure as governor-general, Cavendish had resolved any doubts raised in connection with his appointment. Both Canadian Prime Ministers in his day - Borden and Meighen - saw him not only as their personal friend, but also valued his Pro-Canadian attitude.

"No Governor General has come with a more comprehensive grasp of public questions as they touch not only this country and the United Kingdom, but the whole British Empire ."

- Robert Borden

In Canada Cavendish's title name remained in the Devonshire Cup , which he donated , an award at the annual competition of the Canadian Seniors Golf Association , and the Duke of Devonshire Trophy of the Ottawa Horticultural Society .

Next life

Chatsworth House

Cavendish returned to England and initially worked for the League of Nations before becoming Colonial Minister in the Cabinet of Prime Ministers Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin from 1922 to 1924 . In 1922, King George V appointed him to a commission to review the award of high honors. From 1933 on he was Honorary Colonel of the Derbyshire Yeomanry , a Royal Tank Regiment in the British Army . At the same time, he continued to manage his goods mainly in the area around Chatsworth House .

Titles and honors

Address

• May 3, 1868-8. September 1881: Mister Victor Cavendish
• September 8, 1881-11. December 1905: Victor Cavendish, Esquire
• December 11, 1905-24. March 1908: The Right Honorable Victor Cavendish
• March 24, 1908-11. November 1916: His Grace the Duke of Devonshire
• November 11, 1916-19. September 1918: His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Militia and Naval Forces of Canada
• September 19, 1918–2. August 1921: His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Militia and Naval and Air Forces of Canada
• August 2, 1921–6. May 1938: His Grace the Duke of Devonshire

Orders and awards

• December 11, 1905–6. May 1938: Privy Councilor (PC)
• August 19, 1912: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)
• July 28, 1916: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG)
• November 11, 1916–2. August 1921: Chief Scout for Canada
• November 11, 1916: Honorary Member of the Royal Military College of Canada Club
• January 1, 1916: Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (KG)

• 1902: King Edward VII Coronation Medal
• 1911: King George V Coronation Medal
• 1935: King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
• 1937: King George VI Coronation Medal

Military honorary degrees

• November 11, 1916–2. August 1921: Colonel of the Regiment of "The Governor General's Horse Guards"
• November 11, 1916–2. August 1921: Colonel of the Regiment of "The Governor General's Foot Guards"
• November 11, 1916–2. August 1921: Colonel of the Regiment of " The Canadian Grenadier Guards "

Academic honorary degrees

• 1917: University of Alberta , Doctor of Laws (LLD)

Pedigree

Web links

Commons : Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Mr Victor Cavendish at Hansard (English)
• Website of the Governor General of Canada entry for Duke of Devonshire
• Victor Christian William Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire on thepeerage.com
• Archival material on Victor Cavendish in the UK National Archives

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Whiddington, R .: Victor Christian William Cavendish, the Duke of Devonshire, 1868-1938 . In: Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society . tape 2 , no. 7 , 1939, pp. 557-526 , doi : 10.1098 / rsbm.1939.0016 (English).
2. ^ Cavendish, Victor Christian William . In: John Archibald Venn (Ed.): Alumni Cantabrigienses . A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge, from the Earliest Times to 1900. Part 2: From 1752 to 1900 , Volume  1 : Abbey – Challis . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1940, pp. 544 ( venn.lib.cam.ac.uk Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
3. ^ Walter Morley Fletcher: The University Pitt Club: 1835-1935 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2011, ISBN 978-1-107-60006-5 , pp. 92 (English, First Paperback).
4. ↑ Kelly's Handbook of the Titled, Landed and Official Classes . Kelly's, 1895, p.  249 .
5. ↑ London Gazette . No. 27362, HMSO, London, October 4, 1901, p. 6491 ( PDF , accessed December 17, 2013, English).
6. ^ ^{A b} Norman Hillmer: Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved December 16, 2013.
7. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Office of the Governor General of Canada: Governor General> Former Governors General> The Duke of Devonshire. Queen's Printer for Canada, archived from the original on November 16, 2008 ; Retrieved April 18, 2009 .  
8. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 27862, HMSO, London, December 8, 1905, p. 8892 ( PDF , accessed December 17, 2013, English).
9. ↑ London Gazette . No. 28018, HMSO, London, May 3, 1907, p. 2999 ( PDF , accessed December 17, 2013, English).
10. ↑ ^{a b} Kelly’s Handbook of the Titled, Landed and Official Classes . Kelly's, 1920, p.  498 .
11. ↑ London Gazette . No. 29651, HMSO, London, July 4, 1916, p. 6596 ( PDF , accessed April 26, 2009, English).
12. ↑ Library and Archives Canada> MIKAN no. 3623771. (No longer available online.) Queen's Printer for Canada, formerly in the original ; Retrieved April 27, 2009 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
13. ^ James A. Barclay: Golf in Canada: A History . McClelland and Stewart, Toronto 1992, ISBN 0-7710-1080-X , pp. 456 .
14. ↑ London Gazette . No. 32982, HMSO, London, October 14, 1924, p. 7430 ( PDF , accessed December 17, 2013, English).
15. ↑ London Gazette . No. 32749, HMSO, London, September 22, 1922, p. 6767 ( PDF , accessed December 17, 2013, English).
16. ↑ Kelly's Handbook of Distinguished People . Kelly's, 1938, p.  588 .
17. ↑ London Gazette . No. 28639, HMSO, London, August 27, 1912, p. 6371 ( PDF , English).
18. ↑ London Gazette . No. 29687, HMSO, London, July 28, 1916, p. 7477 ( PDF , English).
19. ↑ University of Alberta Senate> Honorary Degrees> Past Honorary Degree Recipients> C . University of Alberta. Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2009.

predecessor	Offices	successor
Spencer Cavendish	Duke of Devonshire 1908-1938	Edward Cavendish
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn	Governor General of Canada 1916–1921	The Lord Byng of Vimy