File 066 - Lord Lansdowne

Henry Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne was born on January 14, 1845, in London, England.

He was a British politician and Governor-General of Canada (1883-1888). He studied at Eton College and in 1867, he received a B.A. degree from Balliol College in Oxford. During his time at Oxford, his father died, and he inherited the title of Marquess of Lansdowne, his father’s seat in the House of Lords, a London residence, and estates in Ireland. In 1866, he entered the House of Lords as a member of the Liberal Party and served as a Lord of the Treasury (1869-1872) and as Under-Secretary of State for War (1872-1874). He became Under-Secretary of State for India in 1880 and in 1883, he was appointed Governor-General of Canada. Being fluent in French, he was popular in Quebec and spent extended periods at the Citadelle in Quebec City. Lansdowne received an honorary Doctor of Law from McGill University in 1884. In 1885, he travelled across Canada and met with First Nations leaders during an extended tour intended to alleviate tensions following the North-West Rebellion. He promoted the development of science and technology in Canada and supported the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Lansdowne embraced Canadian outdoor sports and activities like salmon fishing, skating, tobogganing, and curling. He served as viceroy of India (1888-1894), Secretary of State for War (1895-1900), and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1900-1905). There are towns named for Lansdowne in the Yukon, Ontario and Nova Scotia, as well as the Lansdowne neighbourhood in Edmonton, Lansdowne Avenue and subway station in Toronto, and Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. There is a Mount Lansdowne in the Yukon and streets named for Lansdowne in Sudbury, Peterborough, Quebec City, and Fredericton, as well as public schools in Winnipeg, Sudbury, and Toronto.

In 1869, he married Lady Maud Hamilton. He died on June 3, 1927, in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland.