Stanley, Frederick Arthur, 16th Earl of Derby (1841 -1908)

Frederick Arthur Stanley was the second son of Prime Minister Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, and the Hon. Emma Caroline, daughter of Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale. He was born in London and was educated at Eton and Sandhurst. He received a commission in the Grenadier Guards, rising to the rank of Captain. He left the army for politics, serving as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Preston 1865-1868, North Lancashire 1868-1885 and Blackpool 1885-1886 He married Lady Constance Villiers, daughter of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon, on 31 May 1864. They had eight sons and two daughters. Lord Derby served in a number of government posts, including as a Civil Lord of the Admiralty (1868), Financial Secretary to the War Office (1874–1878), Secretary to the Treasury (1878), War Secretary (1878–1880) and Colonial Secretary (1885–1886). On May 1, 1888 he was appointed sixth Governor General of Canada and Commander in Chief of Prince Edward Island. He travelled often and widely throughout the country, including the West coast, where Stanley Park in Vancouver is named in his honour. Lord and Lady Derby became keen ice hockey fans, and in 1892 Lord Derby gave the Stanley Cup to the nation. It was first contested by amateur hockey teams, but from 1909 it was fought for exclusively by professional teams. Derby's term as Governor General of Canada was due to end in September 1893. However, in April of that year, his elder brother, the 15th Earl of Derby, died, and Stanley succeeded him as the 16th Earl of Derby. Back in England, he became the Lord Mayor of Liverpool and the first Chancellor of the University of Liverpool. On his death in 1908 he was succeeded by his eldest son Edward, who also became a distinguished politician.