Item 0004 - Letter, 9 February 1901

John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, son of Duke of Argyll, George Douglas Campbell (1823-1900), was born on August 6, 1845, in London, England.

He was the 4th Governor General of Canada. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy, Eton College, St. Andrews University and Trinity College, Cambridge University, as well as at the National Art Training School. For ten years before coming to Canada, Lorne travelled throughout North and Central America, writing travel literature and poetry. In the UK, he represented, from 1868, the constituency of Argyllshire as a Liberal Member of Parliament in the House of Commons. He was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the part-time 1st Argyll and Bute Artillery Volunteers in 1866. He gave up the position in the 1880s but was appointed the unit's Honorary Colonel in 1900. He served as the 4th Governor General of Canada from 25 November 1878 to 23 October 1883. At age 33, he was Canada's youngest governor-general. He and Princess Louise made many lasting contributions to Canadian society, especially in the field of arts and sciences. They encouraged the establishment of the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and the National Gallery of Canada, even selecting some of its first paintings. Campbell was involved in the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway and other projects, such as a hospital for British Columbia. He was intensely interested in Canada and Canadians. He travelled throughout the country, encouraging the establishment of numerous institutions, and met with First Nations and other Canadians from all walks of life. At Rideau Hall, he and Princess Louise hosted many social functions, including numerous ice skating and tobogganing parties as well as balls, dinners, and state occasions. His small collection of First Nations artifacts was purchased by the British Museum in 1887. He was Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle from 1892 to 1914 and he sat as MP for Manchester South from 1895 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 at Kensington Palace until his death in 1914. In 1883, he published the book "Memories of Canada and Scotland."

In 1871, he married Queen Victoria's fourth daughter, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll. He died from pneumonia on May 2, 1914, in Cowes, England.