The Right Honourable Lord Stanley MC |
|
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Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs | |
In office 16 May 1938 – 16 October 1938 |
|
Monarch | George VI |
Prime Minister | Neville Chamberlain |
Preceded by | Malcolm MacDonald |
Succeeded by | Malcolm MacDonald |
Personal details | |
Born | 9 July 1894 Marylebone, London |
Died |
16 October 1938 (aged 44) Marylebone, London |
Nationality | British |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse(s) | Hon. Sibyl Cadogan (1893–1969) |
Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
Edward Montagu Cavendish Stanley, Lord Stanley MC PC (9 July 1894 – 16 October 1938) was a British Conservative politician. The eldest son of the 17th Earl of Derby, he held minor political office before being appointed Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs in 1938, sitting in the cabinet alongside his brother Oliver Stanley. However, Stanley died only a few months after this appointment, aged 44, with his oldest son, Edward John Stanley, succeeding to the earldom in his stead.
Stanley was born in Marylebone, London, the eldest son and heir apparent of Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, by Lady Alice Montagu. He was spectacularly well-connected to leading political families.
His father Edward, Lord Stanley, later the 17th Earl of Derby, was at the time of his birth Conservative MP for Westhoughton, Lancashire, and went on to serve as Secretary of State for War from 1916 to 1918 and from 1922 to 1924. His paternal grandfather, the 16th Earl of Derby, was a former Lancashire MP, Colonial Secretary, and Governor-General of Canada. His great-uncle, the 15th Earl, served twice as Foreign Secretary and was Prime Minister Lord Salisbury's stepfather, while his best-known ancestor was his great-grandfather, the 14th Earl of Derby, who was Leader of the Conservative Party for 22 years (1846–1868; the longest tenure in that office) and Prime Minister three times (1852, 1858–59, and 1866–68). His paternal grandmother, Lady Constance Villiers, was daughter of Lord Clarendon, who also served as Foreign Secretary, three times. Lord Stanley's uncles Sir Arthur and Sir George also served as Conservative MPs.