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Elections | Governor General | Supreme Courts | Parliament | Political Parties | Prime Ministers | Provinces | Symbols
The Viscount Monck | The Lord Lisgar | The Earl of Dufferin | The Marquess of Lorne | The Marquess of Lansdowne | The Lord Stanley of Preston | The Earl of Aberdeen | The Earl of Minto | The Earl Grey | The Duke of Connaught and Stratheam | The Duke of Devonshire | Lord Byng of Vimy | The Viscount Willingdon | The Earl Bessborough | The Lord Tweedsmuir | The Earl of Athlone | The Viscount Alexander of Tunis | Vincent Massey | Georges P Vanier | Roland Michener | Jules Leger | Edward Schreyer | Jeanne Sauvé | Ray Hnatyshyn | Romeo LeBlanc | Adrienne Clarkson | Michelle Jean | David Lloyd Johnston
Albert Henry George Grey, the 4th Earl Grey and Canada's ninth Governor General, was no stranger to public service.
Born in St James Palace, London, on November 28th, 1851, he was the son of the Honourable Sir Charles Grey, a private secretary to Queen Victoria for many years, and a grandson of a former British Prime Minister.
He attended harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge; began his public life as a member of the House of Commons, then entered the House of Lords when he succeeded to the Earldom on the death of a childless uncle.
A strong Empire supporter, he visited the British possessions extensively and was a close friend of Cecil Rhodes, the South African statesman and developer, who appointed him Commissioner of Rhodesia.
n 1904, he was named Governor General to succeed his brother in law, Lord Minto, and accepted the post eagerly. Following what had become a tradition, Grey and his Countess travelled widely throughout Canada and also made successful goodwill trips to the United States.
Lord Grey was deeply interested in conservation and development of our forest wealth and in penal reform. He had an abounded faith in the future of Canada and predicted that it would have a population of 80,000,000 before the century.
An ardent sports fan, Earl Grey instituted the Grey Cup which remains emblematic of senior football supremacy in Canada. He was prominent in the elaborate celebration of the 300th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City and influenced the decision to have the 1759 battlefield designated as a national Park. He also contributed to the preservation of other historic sites.
Because of his popularity and his own wishes, Grey's term was extended in 1909, and he remained in Canada almost 7 years. Returning to England in 1911, he devoted himself to various social works and died at Howick in 1917. He was succeeded by his son, Lord Howick. .
