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Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire — news, coverage & facts — IJR

Politics and industry

In May 1891, shortly before Cavendish graduated from Cambridge, his father, who sat as the Member of Parliament for West Derbyshire, died and Cavendish entered the race for that parliamentary seat and won it. He thus became the youngest member of the British House of Commons at the time.

For 17 years, Cavendish held parliamentary positions. Between 1900 and 1903, he served as Treasurer of the Household, from 1903 to 1905 as Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and on 11 December 1905 he was sworn of the Privy Council. In 1907, he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Derbyshire.

When he succeeded to his uncle's dukedom on 24 March 1908, Devonshire, as he was thereafter known, was disqualified from holding his seat in the Commons, as he now held a place in the House of Lords. The same year, Devonshire was appointed as Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, when he acted as President of the Derbyshire Territorial Force (TF) Association and Honorary Colonel of the 5th (TF) Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters. In 1909 he was made Chancellor of the University of Leeds. He was then elected to two mayoral offices: first to that of Eastbourne, between 1909 and 1910, and then Chesterfield, from 1911 to 1912. In the House of Lords, Devonshire served as Conservative Chief Whip from 1911 and, after the Conservatives joined the government during the First World War, as joint Government Chief Whip in the upper chamber, holding office as Civil Lord of the Admiralty.

He took an active interest in the iron industry and from 1910 to 1912 was the president of the Iron and Steel Institute. The University of Leeds General Reception Committee honoured his presidential years on 30 September 1912 at an event at the hall of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society with ensuing tours of nearby foundries including those founded by Robert Middleton and the family of Albert Kitson, 2nd Baron Airedale, both of whom were members of the committee. Kitson was honorary vice-president of the institute from 1911.

During World War I he and the Derbyshire TF Association not only supported the TF battalions of the Sherwood Foresters but also raised a 'Pals battalion' for 'Kitchener's Army', the 16th (Service) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Chatsworth Rifles). He also became Honorary Colonel and Commandant of the Derbyshire Volunteer Regiment of the Volunteer Training Corps in 1918.

Governor General of Canada

It was announced on 8 August 1916 that King George V had, by commission under the royal sign-manual and signet, approved the recommendation of his British prime minister, H. H. Asquith, to appoint Devonshire as his representative in Canada. The appointment caused political problems, as Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden had not been consulted on the matter, contrary to practice that had been well established by that time. Borden thus felt insulted, which led to considerable difficulties at the beginning of Devonshire's tenure after he was sworn in on 11 November 1916 during a ceremony held in Halifax.

In that era, there was social unrest in the country. The women's suffrage movement gaining momentum in Canada, calls were coming out of the prairies for socialist changes to the governmental system and war continued to rage around the world. Canada was providing troops and supplies, and shortly after his installation, acting on the advice of Borden, Devonshire introduced conscription, a decision that was particularly divisive between French and English Canadians and sparked the Conscription Crisis of 1917. The same year, he also travelled to Nova Scotia to survey the damage caused by the Halifax Explosion on 6 December. There, he met with survivors and addressed the women of the Voluntary Aid Detachment.

The Canadian victory in 1917 at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, however, helped fuel Canadian pride and nationalism at home, and the Governor General, while conscious of his role's remaining connection to the British government, used the victory positively and publicly to encourage reconciliation between Canada's two main linguistic groups. At all times, Devonshire was careful to consult with his prime minister and the leaders of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Canada on matters related to conscription and the war effort.

Devonshire took an active interest in the lives of Canadians and conducted various tours of the country to meet with them. As a landowner himself, the Governor General was particularly focused on the development of farming in Canada and during his travels. At agricultural and horticultural fairs, shows, and sugaring-off parties in Gatineau, he discussed agricultural issues with farmers and other people in the industry. His speeches often referred to Canada's potential to lead the world in agricultural research and development, and one of his major projects as viceroy was establishing experimental farms, including the Crown's central one in Ottawa. At the same time, Devonshire acted as a patron of the arts.

When not on tour or residing at La Citadelle, the viceregal residence in Quebec City at which the Duke enjoyed spending time, he frequently visited the National Gallery and hosted theatrical performances at Rideau Hall. There, on the grounds of the royal residence, during the winters, the Devonshires also hosted tobogganing and skating parties, as well as hockey matches. Officially, in 1918 Devonshire travelled to the United States to meet President Woodrow Wilson informally, and the following year, he was host to Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, during his first tour of Canada.

By the end of his tenure as Governor General, Devonshire had overcome all of the initial suspicions that had surrounded his appointment, and both men who served as his Canadian prime minister, Borden and Arthur Meighen, came to view him as a personal friend of them and also of Canada. The former said of Devonshire: "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 Empire". The Duke left as a mark of his time in Canada the Devonshire Cup, for the annual golf competition of the Canadian Seniors Golf Association, and the Duke of Devonshire Trophy, for the Ottawa Horticultural Society. While in Canada, Devonshire's two aides-de-camp married his daughters.

Later career

On returning to England, Devonshire worked at the League of Nations before serving from 1922 to 1924 as Secretary of State for the Colonies (with a seat in the Cabinet, while headed by Prime Ministers Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin). There, he opposed the views of Lord Delamere, the leading white settler in Kenya, who had helped found the Happy Valley set and campaigned for self-government by white settlers. Devonshire advocated protecting the interests of the Africans. The Devonshire White Paper of 1923, which he authored, was cited as a reason why Kenya did not develop as a white minority rule, similar to the model of the Union of South Africa and Southern Rhodesia.

In 1922, he was appointed by King George V to the committee that was charged with looking into how honours were to be bestowed in the United Kingdom.

In 1925, the Cavendish Golf Club was opened in Derbyshire. In 1923, he commissioned the Lido Prize winner Dr. Alister MacKenzie to design the course. MacKenzie graduated from University of Cambridge in 1891 and attended the university at the same time as the future Duke. The land afforded by the Duke at the time of commission was not large. MacKenzie believed that the quality of a hole was not determined by its length. The resulting design is considered one of the finest short courses (less than 6,000 yards) in the United Kingdom. The course takes advantage of the natural features of the area, which is a hallmark of MacKenzie's designs. Augusta National, Cypress Point, Royal Melbourne, Meadow Club, Pasatiempo, and Crystal Downs are other courses designed by the same architect. Cavendish Golf Club is considered by some to be the inspiration for Augusta National, home of the Masters Tournament. In the quiet section of Buxton, the course is home to a variety of wildlife, including deer, hares, buzzards, kestrels, and sparrow hawks.

From 1933 to his death, he was Honorary Colonel of the 24 (Derbyshire Yeomanry) Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Regiment, in the Territorial Army. He simultaneously continued to run his agricultural land holdings, especially around Chatsworth House, where he died in May 1938.