Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire
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His Grace The Duke of Devonshire KG GCVO PC PC |
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| Leader of the Liberal Party | |
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In office 1875–1880 |
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| Preceded by | William Ewart Gladstone |
| Succeeded by | William Ewart Gladstone |
| Lord President of the Council | |
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In office 29 June 1895 – 19 October 1903 |
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| Monarch |
Victoria Edward VII |
| Prime Minister |
The Marquess of Salisbury Arthur Balfour |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Rosebery |
| Succeeded by | The Marquess of Londonderry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 July 1833 |
| Died | 24 March 1908 (aged 74) Cannes, France |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party |
Liberal Liberal Unionist |
| Spouse(s) | Louisa Frederica Augusta von Alten |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire KG GCVO PC PC (23 July 1833 – 24 March 1908), styled The Honourable Spencer Cavendish in 1833, Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1834 and 1858 and Marquess of Hartington between 1858 and 1891, was a British statesman. 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), 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, not because he was not a serious politician but because the circumstances were never right.
Devonshire was the eldest son of William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Burlington, who succeeded his cousin as Duke of Devonshire in 1858, and Lady Blanche Cavendish (née Howard). Lord Frederick Cavendish and Lord Edward Cavendish were his younger brothers. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated as MA in 1854. He later received honorary degrees as LLD in 1862, and as DCL at Oxford University in 1878.
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