The Earl of Crewe

The Most Honourable The Marquess of Crewe KG PC FSA
Robert Offley Ashburton Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe
Lord President of the Council
In office 25 May 1915 – 10 December 1916
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	H. H. Asquith
Preceded by	The Earl Beauchamp
Succeeded by	The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
In office 10 December 1905 – 12 April 1908
Monarch	Edward VII
Prime Minister	Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Preceded by	The Marquess of Londonderry
Succeeded by	The Lord Tweedmouth
Leader of the House of Lords
In office 14 April 1908 – 10 December 1916
Monarch	Edward VII George V
Prime Minister	H. H. Asquith
Preceded by	The Marquess of Ripon
Succeeded by	The Earl Curzon of Kedleston
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
In office 18 August 1892 – 29 June 1895
Monarch	Queen Victoria
Prime Minister	The Earl of Rosebery
Preceded by	The Earl of Zetland
Succeeded by	The Earl Cadogan
Personal details
Born	Robert Offley Ashburton Milnes (1858-01-12)12 January 1858
Died	20 June 1945(1945-06-20) (aged 87)
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	(1) Sibyl Graham (d. 1887) (2) Lady Margaret Primrose
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge

Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe KG PC FSA (12 January 1858 – 20 June 1945), known as The Lord Houghton from 1885 to 1895 and as The Earl of Crewe from 1895 to 1911, was a British Liberal politician, statesman and writer.

Robert Offley Ashburton Milnes was born at 16 Upper Brook Street, Mayfair, London, the only son of Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton, by his wife the Hon. Annabella Crewe, daughter of John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe, and was educated firstly at Winton House, near Winchester, and then Harrow. He went up to Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating in 1880.

A Liberal in politics, Milnes became Assistant Private Secretary to Lord Granville in April 1883 when Granville was Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. In an 1884 by-election he was the losing Liberal candidate at Barnsley. As Baron Houghton he was made Liberal whip in 1885. In January 1886 he was made a Lord-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria during the Third Gladstone ministry, and remained a Home Ruler.

Prepared for ministerial success, a severe blow was struck to a burgeoning political career: his wife Sybil Marcia, daughter of Sir Fred Frederick Graham, 3rd baronet of Netherby, whom he had married on 3 June 1880, died suddenly in September 1887, still only thirty years old. He was determined to get over this personal tragedy by studying agriculture at Cirencester. However, he was prevented by illness from pursuing his studies. Leaving England, he travelled to Egypt where the Stray Verses were written in a somewhat mournful lament at his great loss. Further melancholy hit hard when his eight-year-old son and heir Richard died in 1890.