Canada's fourth Governor General was John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, Marquis of Lorne. A Scot, in contrast to his three Irish predecessors, he was the son and heir to the 8th Duke of Argyll, head of the powerful Campbell clan.

He was born on August 6, 1845 at Strafford House, London, the son of a prominent author and politician, and received his education at Edinburgh Academy, Eton, St Andrews and Cambridge University. In 1868 he entered the House of Commons for Argyllshire and became Secretary to his father, the Secretary of State for India.

In 1871, he married Princess Louise, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria and in 1878, at the age of 33, the young Marquise came to Canada as Governor General.

The appointment caused anxiety in some Ottawa circles, as it was felt that having a Princess at Rideau Hall would result in a stiffly formal royal court. They were soon reassured however. The Princess, a sculptress of some note, an artist and a writer, was as informal and friendly as her husband. They fished and played outdoor games, entertained informally and kept formality to the essential minimum.

In 1881, the Marquis undertook a tour of 8,000 miles from Halifax to Fort Macleod in Alberta. He was soon able to talk publicly and with great familiarity of places and peoples in Canada about which his listeners would know very little.

Interested in literature and the Arts, he founded the Royal Society of Canada, promoted the Royal Canadian Academy of At and the National Gallery in Ottawa fro which he selected the first collection of pictures which is now housed in a building bearing his name. He wrote much verse and prose about Canada.