The Governor General

In 1893, Lord Stanley gave Canada a treasured national icon -- the Stanley Cup. He originally donated the trophy as an award for Canada's top-ranking amateur hockey club. Then in 1926, the National Hockey League adopted the Stanley Cup as the championship prize in professional hockey. That this now famous cup bears Lord Stanley's name is a fitting tribute to his encouragement and love of outdoor life and sport in Canada. In recognition of this, Lord Stanley was inducted into the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945 in the "Honoured Builders" category.

During his term as Governor General, Lord Stanley travelled often and widely throughout the country. His visit to western Canada in 1889 gave him a lasting appreciation of the region's great natural beauty as well as permitting him to meet the people of Canada's First Nations and many western ranchers and farmers. He also experienced the joys of fishing and avidly pursued the sport whenever his busy schedule allowed.

When the Prime Minister died in office of heart failure on June 6, 1891, Lord Stanley lost the close friendship he had enjoyed with Sir John A. Macdonald. Lord Stanley asked Sir John Abbott to take over as Prime Minister. Once the administration was in place, Sir Abbott resigned due to illness and turned the government over to Sir John Thompson.

Lord Stanley helped cement the non-political role of the Governor General when he refused to agree to a controversial motion in the House of Commons. The motion called on him as Governor General to oppose the Jesuit Estates Bill passed by the government of Quebec. The opposition to the bill was introduced by the other provinces who were motivated by mistrust of the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec. Lord Stanley declined to interfere, citing the proposed disallowal as unconstitutional. In holding to this decision, he gained popularity by refusing to compromise the vice-regal position of political neutrality.