The Most Honourable The Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC |
|
|---|---|
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland |
|
| In office 8 February 1886 – 20 July 1886 |
|
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | William Ewart Gladstone |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Carnarvon |
| Succeeded by | The Marquess of Londonderry |
| In office 11 December 1905 – 17 February 1915 |
|
| Monarch | Edward VII George V |
| Prime Minister | Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Dudley |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Wimborne |
7th Governor General of Canada |
|
| In office 18 September 1893 – 12 November 1898 |
|
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | John Thompson Mackenzie Bowell Charles Tupper Wilfrid Laurier |
| Preceded by | The Lord Stanley of Preston |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Minto |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Campbell Hamilton-Gordon 3 August 1847 Edinburgh, Midlothian United Kingdom |
| Died | 7 March 1934 (aged 86) Tarland, Aberdeenshire United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Hon. Ishbel Marjoribanks (1857–1939) |
| Alma mater | University College, Oxford |
John Campbell Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC (3 August 1847 – 7 March 1934), known as The Earl of Aberdeen from 1870 to 1916, was a Scottish politician. Born in Edinburgh, Hamilton-Gordon held office in several countries, serving twice as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1886; 1905–1915) and serving from 1893 to 1898 as the seventh Governor General of Canada.[1]
Contents |
Aberdeen was born in Edinburgh to George Hamilton-Gordon, 5th Earl of Aberdeen and his wife Mary Baillie, daughter of George Baillie and sister to George Baillie-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Haddington. He studied at the University of St Andrews and University College, Oxford. He succeeded as 7th Earl of Aberdeen following the death of his eldest brother, George, 6th Earl of Aberdeen.
In 1877 he married Ishbel Maria Marjoribanks, daughter to Dudley Marjoribanks, later 1st Baron Tweedmouth, and Isabella Weir-Hogg. It seems that their marriage was a love match as they were long time friends and Ishbel developed a crush on Hamilton-Gordon at just 14. Lady Aberdeen, was an LL.D. of Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario. She served as President of the International Council of Women, 1893-99. Lady Aberdeen founded the National Council of Women of Canada, and the Victorian Order of Nurses.[2]
They had five children:
Aberdeen entered the House of Lords following his succession to his brother's earldom. A Liberal, he was present for William Ewart Gladstone's first Midlothian campaign at Lord Rosebery's house in 1879. He became Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire in 1880, served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1881 to 1885 (he held the position again in 1915) and was briefly appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1886. He became a Privy Counsellor in the same year.[3]
He served as Governor General of Canada from 1893 to 1898 during a period of political transition. He travelled extensively throughout the country and is described as having "transformed the role of Governor General from that of the aristocrat representing the King or Queen in Canada to a symbol representing the interests of all citizens".[4] In 1891, he bought the Coldstream Ranch in the northern Okanagan Valley in British Columbia and launched the first commercial orchard operations in that region, which gave birth to an industry and settlement colony as other Britons emigrated to the region because of his prestige and bought into the orcharding lifestyle.[5] The ranch is today part of the municipality of Coldstream, and various placenames in the area commemorate him and his family, such as Aberdeen Lake and Haddo Creek.[6][7]
He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1895.[8]
He was again appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1905, and served until 1915. During his tenure he also served as Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews (1913–1916), was created a Knight Companion of the Order of the Thistle (1906) and was created a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (1911).[9] Following his retirement, he was created Earl of Haddo, in the County of Aberdeen, and Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, in the County of Aberdeen, in the County of Meath and in the County of Argyll, in January 1916.[10]
Aberdeen lived the later stages of his life at the House of Cromar in Tarland, Aberdeenshire, which he had built and where he died in 1934. His son, George, succeeded to the marquessate.
House of Cromar passed to Sir Alexander MacRobert in 1934 and it became Alastrean House. It was leased to the RAF Benevolent Fund in 1984.[11]
From 1883 until 1896, he was also an owner of and investor in the Rocking Chair Ranche located in the Collingsworth County, Texas along with his father-in-law Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth and his brother-in-law Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth.[12]
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Earl of Kintore |
Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire 1880–1934 |
Succeeded by The 2nd Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Carnarvon |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1886 |
Succeeded by The Marquess of Londonderry |
| Preceded by The Lord Stanley of Preston |
Governor General of Canada 1893–1898 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Minto |
| Preceded by The Earl of Dudley |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1905–1915 |
Succeeded by The Lord Wimborne |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Rosebery |
Rector of the University of St Andrews 1913–1916 |
Succeeded by Sir Douglas Haig |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair 1916–1934 |
Succeeded by George Gordon |
| Preceded by George Hamilton-Gordon |
Earl of Aberdeen 1870–1934 |
|
|
|
|||||