| honorific_prefix = His Grace the Duke of | honorific_suffix = KG, FRS

| birth_date = 18081833| death_date = 18911908| address = Devonshire House , Piccadilly [1862]| occupation = aristocracy<br />political| elected_ESL = 1862.02.18

| elected_AI = 18621892.04.26

| membership = ESL, AI Ordinary Fellow - life compounderordinary fellow| left = 1891 deceased1895.10.09 resigned

| societies = Royal Agricultural Society

1892.0103.12 death announced22 proposed for election at the next meeting

William Spencer Compton Cavendish, 7th 8th Duke of Devonshire , KG, GCVO, PC , PC (Ire), FRS (27 April 1808 23 July 1833 – 21 December 189124 March 1908), styled as Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1831 1834 and 1834 1858 and known as The Earl Marquess of Burlington Hartington between 1834 1858 and 18581891, was a British landownerstatesman. He has the distinction of having served as leader of three political parties: as Leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons (1875–1880) and as of the Liberal Unionist Party (1886–1903) and of the Unionists in the House of Lords (1902–1903) (though the Conservatives and Liberal Unionists operated in close alliance from 1892–1903 and would eventually merge in 1912). He also declined to become Prime Minister on three occasions, benefactor, nobleman, and not because he was not a serious politicianbut because the circumstances were never right.<br />Cavendish Devonshire was the eldest son of William Cavendish, eldest son of George Cavendish, 1st 2nd Earl of Burlington, third son of William Cavendish, 4th who succeeded his cousin as Duke of Devonshire in 1858, and Lady Charlotte Boyle, daughter of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington. His mother was the Honourable Louisa O'Callaghan Blanche Cavendish (dnée Howard). 1863), daughter of Cornelius O'Callaghan, 1st Baron LismoreLord Frederick Cavendish and Lord Edward Cavendish were his younger brothers. He was educated at Eton and the University of Cambridge (Trinity College), attaining Cambridge, where he graduated as MA in 1854, having taken a Second in the position of Second Wrangler Mathematical Tripos. He later was made honorary LLD in 1862, and the Smith's Prize for mathematicsas DCL at Oxford University in 1878.[1] He became known by the courtesy title Lord Cavendish of Keighley <br /><br />In later life he continued his interests in 1831 when the earldom education as Chancellor of Burlington was revived in favour his old university from 1892, and of Manchester University from 1907 until his grandfatherdeath.<br />Cavendish He was returned Lord Rector of Edinburgh University from 1877 to parliament as 1880.After joining the MP special mission to Russia for Cambridge University Alexander II's accession,[2] Cavendish entered Parliament in 1829, a seat he held until July 1831the 1857 general election, when he was returned for MaltonNorth Lancashire as a Liberal (his title "Lord Hartington" was a courtesy title; as he was not a peer in his own right he was eligible to sit in the Commons until he succeeded his father as Duke of Devonshire in 1891). He only sat for Malton until September Between 1863 and 1874 Hartington held various Government posts, including Civil Lord of the same year Admiralty and was out Under-Secretary of State for War under Palmerston and Earl Russell. In the 1868 general election he lost his seat; having refused the House Lord Lieutenancy of Commons until 1832Ireland, when he was made Postmaster-General, without a seat in the Cabinet. The next year he re-entered the Commons, having been returned for North DerbyshireRadnor. He succeeded his grandfather in In 1870 Hartington reluctantly accepted the earldom post of Burlington Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1834 and entered the House of LordsGladstone's first government. <br /><br />In 1858 1875 — the year following the Liberal defeat at the General Election — he also succeeded his cousin William Ewart Gladstone as Duke Leader of the Liberal opposition in the House of DevonshireCommons after the other serious contender, W. E. He Forster, had indicated that he was Lord-Lieutenant not interested in the post. The following year, however, Gladstone returned to active political life in the campaign against Turkey's Bulgarian Atrocities. The relative political fortunes of Lancashire from 1857 to 1891 Gladstone and Lord-Lieutenant Hartington fluctuated — Gladstone was not popular at the time of Benjamin Disraeli's triumph at the Congress of Berlin, but the Midlothian Campaigns of Derbyshire from 1858 to 18911879–80 marked him out as the Liberals' foremost public campaigner.<br /><br />Devonshire In 1880, after Disraeli's government lost the general election, Hartington was Chancellor of invited by the University of London from 1836 Queen to 1856form a government, but declined — as did the Earl Granville, Chancellor of Liberal Leader in the University House of Cambridge from 1861 Lords — after William Ewart Gladstone made it clear that he would not serve under anybody else. Hartington chose instead to 1891, serve in Gladstone's Second government as Secretary of State for India (1880–1882) and Chancellor Secretary of State for War (1882–1885).<br /><br />In 1884 he was instrumental in persuading Gladstone to send a mission to Khartoum for the Victoria University from 1880 relief of General Gordon, which arrived two days too late to 1891save him.[23] At Cambridge he endowed A considerable number of the Conservative party long held him chiefly responsible for the Cavendish Professorship "betrayal of PhysicsGordon." His lethargic manner, apart from his position as war minister, helped to associate him in their minds with a disaster which emphasized the fact that the government acted "too late"; but Gladstone and Lord Granville were no less responsible than he.<br />Hartington became increasingly uneasy with Gladstone's Irish policies, especially after the building murder of his younger brother Lord Frederick Cavendish in Phoenix Park. After being elected in December 1885 for the Cavendish Laboratorynewly created Rossendale Division of Lancashire, he broke with Gladstone altogether. He made vast declined to serve in Gladstone's third government, formed after Gladstone came out in favour of Irish Home Rule (and ultimately unsuccessfulunlike Joseph Chamberlain, who accepted the Local Government Board but then resigned) investments in heavy industry at Barrow-in-Furness, and had his nearby country house Holker Hall rebuilt in its present form after it was gutted by a fire opposing the First Home Rule Bill became the leader of the Liberal Unionists. After the general election of 1886 Hartington declined to become Prime Minister, preferring instead to hold the balance of power in 1871. He was one the House of Commons and give support from the original founders back benches to the second Conservative government of the Royal Agricultural Society Lord Salisbury. Early in 18391887, after the resignation of Lord Randolph Churchill, Salisbury offered to step down and was president serve in 1870a government under Hartington, who now declined the premiership for the third time. On 26 July 1871, he was nominated a trustee of Instead the Liberal Unionist George Goschen accepted the British MuseumExchequer in Churchill's place.[3]<br /><br />The 7th Having succeeded as Duke inherited a considerable amount of property Devonshire in 1891 and entered the House of Lords where, in Eastbourne from his grandfather1893, and from his wife Elizabeth Compton he formally moved for the rejection of Compton Placethe Second Home Rule Bill. He saw through Devonshire eventually joined Salisbury's third government in 1895 as Lord President of the development Council. Devonshire was not asked to become Prime Minister when Lord Salisbury retired in favour of Eastbourne his nephew Arthur Balfour in 1902. He resigned from the 19th century with its parksgovernment in 1903, baths and squares and is commemorated by a statue from the Liberal Unionist Association the following spring, in protest at Joseph Chamberlain's Tariff Reform scheme. Devonshire said of Chamberlain's proposals:<br /><br />I venture to express the top of Devonshire Place.opinion that [4Chamberlain] The Duke also played will find among the projects and plans which he will be called upon to discuss none containing a part more Socialistic principle than that which is embodied in the foundation of Eastbourne Collegehis own scheme, the local independent schoolwhich, by selling some whether it can properly be described as a scheme of his land at protection or not, is certainly a modest price scheme under which the State is to build undertake to regulate the school on course of commerce and of industry, and commissioning respected architect Henry Currey tell us where we are to buy, where we are to design the school chapel sell, what commodities we are to manufacture at home, and College House (now the School Housewhat we may continue, if we think right, a boarding facility)to import from other countries.[5]<br />Devonshire married Blanche Georgiana Howard (11 January 1812 – 27 April 1840)<br />Balfour, daughter of George Howardtrying to juggle different factions, 6th Earl of Carlisle had allowed both Chamberlain and Georgiana CavendishFree Trade supporters to resign from the government, sister of hoping that Devonshire would remain for the 6th Duke sake of Devonshirebalance, known as but the "Bachelor Duke", in 1829. Blanche was the Bachelor Duke's favourite niece, latter eventually resigned under pressure from Charles Thomson Ritchie and from his fondness for the young couple wife, who were his heirs may have contributed to his decision not to marry himself. He commemorated Blanche with an inscription in the Painted Hall at Chatsworth, which states still hoped that he completed his reconstruction of the house might lead a government including leading Liberals. But in the year autumn of 1907 his bereavement, 1840health gave way, and by Blanche's Urn at the top grave symptoms of cardiac weakness necessitated his abstaining from public effort and spending the Long Walk in the gardenwinter abroad. They had five children:He died, rather suddenly, at Cannes on 24 March 1908<br /><br />Lord William Cavendish He served part-time as Captain in the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry from 1855 to 1873, and was Honorary Colonel of the 3rd (8 October 1831-15 May 1834Militia) died at Battalion of the age Derbyshire Regiment from 1871 and of two years oldthe 2nd Sussex Artillery Volunteers from 1887.<br />Spencer CavendishHartington took great pains to parade his interest in horseracing, 8th Duke so as to cultivate an image of Devonshire not being entirely obsessed by politics. For many years the courtesan Catherine Walters (23 July 1833-24 March 1908"Skittles") he was his mistress. He was married Countess Luise von Alten at Christ Church, Mayfair, on 16 August 1892, at the age of 59, to Louisa Frederica Augusta von Alten, widow of the late William Drogo Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester.<br />Lady Louisa Caroline Upon his death, he was succeeded by his nephew Victor Cavendish (16 . He died of pneumonia at the Hotel Metropol in Cannes and was interred on 28 March 1835-21 September 1907) she married Admiral The Honourable Francis Egerton on 26 September 18651908 at St Peter's Churchyard, Edensor, Derbyshire. They had five children:A statue of the Duke can be found at the junction of Whitehall and Horse Guards Avenue in London, and also in the Carpet Gardens at Eastbourne<br />William Francis Egerton (1 March 1868-21 March 1949) Upon receiving news of the Duke's death, the House of Lords took the unprecedented step of adjourning in his honour.[7] Margot Asquith said the Duke of Devonshire "was a man whose like we shall never see again; he married Lady Alice Osborne (daughter stood by himself and could have come from no country in the world but England. He had the figure and appearance of an artisan, with the brevity of a peasant, the courtesy of a king and the noisy sense of humour of a Falstaff. He gave a great, wheezy guffaw at all the right things and was possessed of George Godolphin Osborneendless wisdom. He was perfectly disengaged from himself, 9th Duke fearlessly truthful and without pettiness of Leeds) on 7 August 1894any kind". They have one son:<br />Captain Francis Egerton (17 January 1896 - [8 June 1935)]<br />Commander Frederick Greville Egerton (15 April 1869-3 November 1899)<br />Blanche Harriet Egerton (27 June 1871Historian Jonathan Parry claimed that "He inherited the whig belief in the duty of political leadership, afforced by the intellectual notions characteristic of well-14 May 1943)<br />Dorothy Charlotte Egerton (6 Oct 1874educated, propertied early to mid-2 Aug 1959)<br />Christian Mary Egerton (17 June 1978)<br />The Right Honorable Lord Frederick Charles Cavendish (30 November 1836-6 May 1882) Victorian Liberals: a confidence that the application of free trade, rational public administration, scientific enquiry, and a patriotic defence policy would promote Britain's international greatness—in which he married The Honorable Lucy Lyttelton on 7 June 1864strongly believed—and her economic and social progress...<br />Lord Edward Cavendish (28 January 1838-18 May 1891) he married The Honorable Emma Lascelles on 3 August 1865became a model of the dutiful aristocrat". They had three sons[9] It has been said that he was "the best excuse that the last half-century has produced for the continuance of the peerages".<br /><br />With 24 years of government service, Devonshire's is the fourth longest ministerial career in modern British politics