William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire

His Grace The Duke of Devonshire KG PC


Lord Steward of the Household
In office 1689–1707
Preceded by	The Duke of Ormond
Succeeded by	William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire
Personal details
Born	25 January 1640
Died	18 August 1707 (Age 67)
Spouse(s)	Lady Mary Butler

William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire KG PC FRS (25 January 1640 – 18 August 1707) was an English soldier, nobleman, and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1684 when he inherited his father's peerage as Earl of Devonshire. He was part of the 'Immortal Seven' group that invited William III, Prince of Orange to depose James II of England as monarch during the Glorious Revolution, and was rewarded with the elevation to Duke of Devonshire in 1694.

Cavendish was the son of William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire and his wife Lady Elizabeth Cecil. In 1661, he was elected Member of Parliament for Derbyshire in the Cavalier Parliament. He was a Whig under Charles II of England and James II of England and was leader of the anti-court and anti-Catholic party in the House of Commons, where he served as Lord Cavendish. He was re-elected MP for Derbyshire in the two elections of 1679 and in 1681. In 1684 he succeeded to the peerage as Earl of Devonshire on the death of his father and then sat in the House of Lords. He was a strong supporter of the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688 which brought William III of Orange to the throne, signing as one of the Immortal Seven the invitation to William.