Cavendish, William, 7th Duke of Devonshire (1808 -1891)

William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire, was the son of William Cavendish, eldest son of George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington, and the Honourable Louisa O'Callaghan (d. 1863), daughter of Cornelius O'Callaghan, 1st Baron Lismore. His grandfather was William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire and Lady Charlotte Boyle, daughter of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington. He received his education at Eton, and Trinity College Cambridge. In 1831 he became known by the courtesy title of Lord Cavendish of Keighley when the earldom of Burlington was revived in favour of his grandfather. He succeeded his grandfather in the earldom of Burlington in 1834, and entered the House of Lords. In 1858 he also succeeded his cousin as Duke of Devonshire. He was Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire from 1857 to 1891 and Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire from 1858 to 1891. He was Chancellor of the University of London from 1836 to 1856, and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1861 to 1891. At Cambridge he endowed the Cavendish Professorship of Physics, and the building of the Cavendish Laboratory. William married Blanche Georgiana Howard (1812 –1840), daughter of George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle and Georgiana Cavendish, sister of the 6th Duke of Devonshire, and together they had six children. Their three surviving sons all became politicians. The eldest, Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire, who was known by the courtesy title of the Marquess of Hartington, was leader of the Liberal Party, and was asked three times by Queen Victoria to become Prime Minister. The second son, Lord Frederick Cavendish was briefly Chief Secretary for Ireland and was assassinated in 1882.