Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey,
GCMG, GCVO, PC (
28 November 1851 –
29 August 1917) was a
British nobleman who was
Governor General of Canada from
1904 to
1911.
Grey was educated at
Harrow and
Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied history and law. He came from a family that had enjoyed successful political careers based on reform, including colonial reform. In
1846, his uncle, the
3rd Earl Grey, as Colonial Secretary, was the first to suggest that colonies should be self-sustaining and governed for the benefit of their inhabitants, instead of for the benefit of the United Kingdom. In
1877, he married Alice Holford and together they had five children, one of whom died in early childhood.
Grey served as a
Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) from
1880 to
1886; for
South Northumberland until
1885, and then for
Tyneside until 1886. He split with
Gladstone over
Irish Home Rule, and became a
Liberal Unionist.
Grey succeeded his uncle as 4th Earl Grey in
1894. He travelled extensively throughout the
British Empire, and was Administrator of
Rhodesia from
1896 to
1897. He also gained commercial experience as the Director of the British South Africa Company from
1898 to
1904. He was one of the first four trustees responsible for the administration of the scholarship funds which established the
Rhodes Scholarship. In
1904 he was appointed Governor General of Canada.
Lord Grey was a very active Governor General. He was in constant contact with the Prime Minister, offering ideas for social reform. He sought greater political inclusion for all, and worked to reach as many ordinary Canadians as possible. In fact, he was so dedicated and involved that then-prime minister
Sir Wilfrid Laurier said Lord Grey gave "his whole heart, his whole soul, and his whole life to Canada".
Lord Grey was in office during a time of increasing economic development, industrialisation and immigration in Canada. Both
Alberta and
Saskatchewan entered the
Confederation in
1905. It was also a time of change. In
1911, Sir Wilfrid Laurier's government was defeated by
Sir Robert Borden over the issue of trade reciprocity with the
United States. King Edward VII died in
1910, and
King George V was crowned in 1911.
Lord Grey travelled throughout Canada extensively, from the
Maritimes to the north and to western Canada. He was the first Governor General to travel to
Newfoundland, where he issued a warm invitation for them to join the Confederation. He also developed strong bonds with
Theodore Roosevelt, the
President of the United States, visiting the United States on different occasions.
With his desire for social reform and cohesion, Lord Grey was a strong promoter of national unity among French and English Canadians, as well as a supporter of unity within the entire British Empire. He also advocated prison reforms in Canada to provide greater social justice.
On
16 June 1905, a second Commission was issued that appointed Lord Grey as "Governor General of Canada and Commander-in-Chief of the Dominion of Canada". This reflected the passing of the
Militia Act in
1904, and resulted in changes to the Letters Patent Constituting the Office of the Governor General.
Lord Grey sought to promote culture among Canadians. From
1906 to
1908, he was heavily involved in the
Quebec Tercentenary, the celebrations, pageantry and social functions marking the 300th anniversary of the founding of the city. He also influenced the decision to have the Plains of Abraham, the battlefield where the French and English fought in
1759 which led to the fall of
New France, designated a national park in
Quebec City.
He supported the arts, and established the "Grey Competition for Music and Drama" which was first held in
1907. In
1909, he donated the
Grey Cup to the Senior Amateur Football Championship of Canada. The Grey Cup is still presented to the champions of the
Canadian Football League. In
1963 Lord Grey was elected into the
Canadian Football Hall of Fame for his contribution to the game.
At the request of
Sir Robert Baden-Powell, he also undertook the role of Chief Scout of Canada. In
1907, Lord Grey received Canada's first important foreign royal visit, Prince
Fushima of Japan. In
1908, as part of the Quebec Tercentenary celebrations, he welcomed the Prince of Wales (later King George V), who reviewed 12,000 Canadian military personnel along with a host of ships visiting Quebec.
Lady Grey was the first spouse of a Governor General to be designated as "Her Excellency", an appellation approved by King Edward VII. She was very interested in her husband's role and duties. She sponsored contests for beautiful gardens in
Ottawa, known as the "Lady Grey Competitions", (which continued a tradition begun during
Lord Minto's term) and also planted
daffodils on the west lawn, which visitors to
Rideau Hall can still see today. Their daughter, Lady Evelyn Grey, was a champion figure skater.
During his term, Lord Grey added both the Governor General's study and a new conservatory (which was removed in
1923–24) to Rideau Hall. And upon his departure, he sold the State Landau, which he had purchased from the
Governor General of Australia, to the Canadian government — the carriage is still used for official functions. Lord Grey also recommended that a "great" railway hotel be built in the nation's capital — an idea that grew into the
Chateau Laurier.
Lord Grey and his wife received many accolades for their work with Canadians and for their championship of social reform.
On leaving office in
1911, Lord Grey and his family returned to England, where he became president of the Royal Colonial Institute (now the Royal Commonwealth Society) in
London. Grey died at his family residence in 1917. His son
Charles succeeded to the title.
