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Until this great work
is completed, our dominion is little more than a geographical expression
- Sir John A. Macdonald |
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Governor General from
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1883 - 1888 |
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Sir Henry Charles Keith
Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne,
6th Earl of Kerry
Appointed:
August 18, 1883
Sworn In: October 23, 1883, Quebec City
Born: January 14, 1845, London, England
Died: June 3, 1927 |
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The
Governor General |
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The Marquess of Lansdowne was
Governor General during
turbulent times in Canada. Sir
John A. Macdonald's government
was in its second term and
facing allegations of scandal
over the building of the
railway, and the economy was
once again sliding into
recession. The Northwest
Rebellion of 1885 and the
controversy of its leader, Louis
Riel, posed a serious threat to
the stability of Canada.
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Yet the Marquess of Lansdowne
took the opportunity to travel
extensively throughout western
Canada in 1885, meeting many of
Canada's First Nations peoples.
While the railway to British
Columbia was not completed, this
did not stop the Governor
General from travelling
throughout the Rockies on
horseback and by boat. On his
second trip out west, Lord
Lansdowne took the new Canadian
Pacific Railway, and was the
first Governor General to use
the line all the way out west. |
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His experiences in western
Canada gave the Marquess of
Lansdowne a great love of the
Canadian outdoors and the
physical beauty of Canada. He
was an avid salmon fisherman,
and was also intently interested
in winter sports. His love of
the wilderness and Canadian
countryside led him to purchase
a second residence on the
Cascapedia River in Quebec.
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It was with the issue of fishing
rights between the United States
and Canada that the Marquess of
Lansdowne proved himself as an
adept statesman, helping to
negotiate a peaceful settlement
to a potentially serious dispute
between both countries. He was
also a supporter of scientific
development, presiding over the
inaugural session of the British
Association for the Advancement
of Science in 1884. |
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The Marquess of Lansdowne
departed Canada with a true
appreciation of the beauty of
the wilderness and an equal
appreciation of the diversity of
Canadian society. He was
considered a very able Governor
General, and gave his wife, Lady
Maud Evelyn Lansdowne, a great
deal of the credit for his
success in Canada. One of her
happiest and most successful
endeavours while at Rideau Hall
was a party she threw for 400
Sunday school children. Lady
Lansdowne was decorated with the
Order of Victoria and Albert and
the Imperial Order of the Crown
of India. |
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It is interesting to note that
the Marquess of Lansdowne's
military secretary, Lord Melgund,
benefited greatly from serving
the Governor General. He later
became Lord Minto and served as
Governor General between 1898
and 1904. |
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After studying at Eton and
Oxford, the Marquess of
Lansdowne succeeded to the title
at the relatively young age of
21 in 1866. Three years later,
he married Lady Maud Evelyn
Hamilton and they had two sons
and two daughters. The Marquess
of Lansdowne served in the
Gladstone government as a
Liberal Member of Parliament
from 1869 to 1872. He was
appointed Under-Secretary of
State for India in 1880, and
having gained experience in
overseas administration, was
appointed Governor General of
Canada in 1883. |
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He was appointed Viceroy to
India the same year he left
Canada, finally returning to
England in 1894 to serve the
British government until 1900. |
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