The Duke of Argyll | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 4th Governor General of Canada | |
| In office 25 November 1878 – 23 October 1883 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | Canadian: SirJohn A. Macdonald British: The Earl of Beaconsfield William Ewart Gladstone |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Dufferin |
| Succeeded by | The Marquess of Lansdowne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1845-08-06)6 August 1845 London, England |
| Died | 2 May 1914(1914-05-02) (aged 68) Cowes, England |
| Resting place | Kilmun Parish Church,Argyll and Bute, Scotland |
| Political party | |
| Spouse | |
| Parents | |
| Alma mater | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Great Britain |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1866–1880s |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel Commandant |
| Unit | 1st Argyll and Bute Artillery Volunteers |
John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll (6 August 1845 – 2 May 1914), known by thecourtesy titleMarquess of Lorne, by which he was known between 1847 and 1900, was a British nobleman who wasGovernor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883. He was the husband ofPrincess Louise, fourth daughter ofQueen Victoria.
Campbell was born in London, the eldest son ofGeorge, Marquess of Lorne and the formerLady Elizabeth Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, daughter of the2nd Duke of Sutherland, and was styled Earl of Campbell from birth. In 1847, when he was 21 months old, his father succeeded as 8th Duke of Argyll and he assumed the courtesy title Marquess of Lorne, which he bore until he was 54. He was educated atEdinburgh Academy,Eton College,St Andrews and atTrinity College, Cambridge,[1] as well as at theNational Art Training School.[2]
For ten years before coming to Canada, Lorne travelled throughout North and Central America, writing travel literature and poetry.[2] In the UK, he represented, from 1868, the constituency ofArgyllshire as aLiberal Member of Parliament in theHouse of Commons. He made little impression there, however; theLondon World referred to Lorne as "a non-entity in the House of Commons, and a non-entity without."[2]A.C. Benson, who edited Queen Victoria's letters and spent time in the company of the royals, gave him the same epithet.[3]
He was appointedLieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the part-time1st Argyll and Bute Artillery Volunteers on 13 July 1866. He gave up the position in the 1880s, but was appointed the unit'sHonorary Colonel on 18 July 1900.[4][5]
Lord Lorne marriedQueen Victoria's fourth daughter,Princess Louise, on 21 March 1871. The pair shared a common love of the arts, but the marriage was childless and unhappy, and they spent much time apart. Lorne formed close friendships with men, includingLord Ronald Gower,Morton Fullerton and theCount de Mauny, who were known to be homosexual or bisexual, which fuelled rumours in London society that he shared their predisposition. No conclusive evidence has been found to settle this issue either way.[6][2][7]
When Lord Lorne's appointment was announced, there was great excitement throughout Canada. For the first time,Rideau Hall would have a royal resident. The Canadian Prime Minister relaxed his busy campaign schedule to prepare for her arrival and to organise a special carriage and corps of guards to protect the Princess. An author wrote in 1880 that "the appointment was hailed with satisfaction in all parts of theDominion, and the new Governor General entered upon his term of office with the hearts of the people strongly prepossessed [sic] in his favour."[8]
However, Campbell and his wife were initially not received well by the Canadian press, which complained about the imposition of royalty on the country's hitherto un-regal society, a position that was only exacerbated by mishaps and misunderstandings. The worries of a rigid court at the Queen's Canadian residence turned out to be unfounded;[9] the couple were more relaxed than their predecessors, as demonstrated at the manyice skating and tobogganing parties, balls, dinners, and other state occasions hosted by the Marquess and Marchioness.[10]
At age 33, Lord Lorne was Canada's youngest governor general and he became the first representative ofQueen Victoria to have been born during the latter's reign but he was not too young to handle the marginal demands of his post. He and Princess Louise made many lasting contributions to Canadian society, especially in the arts and sciences. They encouraged the establishment of theRoyal Society of Canada, theRoyal Canadian Academy of Arts, and theNational Gallery of Canada, even selecting some of its first paintings. Campbell was involved in the completion of theCanadian Pacific Railway and other projects, such as a hospital for British Columbia.[2]
Throughout his term of office, Lorne was intensely interested in Canada and Canadians. He travelled throughout the country, encouraging the establishment of numerous institutions, and met withFirst Nations and other Canadians from all walks of life. At Rideau Hall, he and Princess Louise hosted many social functions, including numerousice skating and tobogganing parties as well as balls, dinners and state occasions. His small collection of First Nations artefacts was purchased by theBritish Museum in 1887.[11]
Princess Louise returned to England in 1881 and Lord Lorne followed two years later in 1883, when his book,Memories of Canada and Scotland, was published.[12]
In 1907, strenuous efforts were taken by officials to ensure that Lorne's name was not dragged into the investigation of the theft of theIrish Crown Jewels. This was due to the fact that his closest friend wasLord Ronald Gower, who while innocent, was associated with several of the circle who were implicated in it.[13][14]
Lorne was Governor and Constable ofWindsor Castle from 1892 to 1914 and he sat as MP forManchester South from1895 until the death of his father on 24 April 1900, when he succeeded as 9th and 2nd Duke of Argyll. He and Princess Louise lived atKensington Palace until his death from pneumonia in 1914. He is buried atKilmun Parish Church.
Knight Grand Cross of theRoyal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav, with Collar,13 November 1906[16] | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forArgyllshire 1868–1878 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forManchester South 1895–1900 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor General of Canada 1878–1883 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Windsor Castle 1892–1914 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Argyllshire 1900–1914 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Argyll 1900–1914 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Argyll 1900–1914 | Succeeded by |
