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Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell
Marquess of Lorne, 9th Duke of Argyll
(August 6, 1845 - May 2, 1914) U.K.

Marquess of Lorne

Canada Governor General

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Born at Stafford House, London, the eldest son of the Argyll line of Campbells, Lord Lorne held the courtesy title of Marquess of Lorne from and was heir to the title of Duke of Argyll from 21 months until he was 54. He received an excellent education at Edinburgh Academy, Eton, St. Andrews and Cambridge. For ten years before going to Canada, the Duke represented Argyllshire as a Liberal member of Parliament in the British House of Commons.

In March 21, 1871, the Marquis of Lorne and Princess Louise, fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, were wed. The wedding was somewhat of an oddity because it was unheard of for the daughter of the sovereign to marry a subject of the realm (he was not royalty).

Marquess of LorneThe marriage was not a happy one. Lorne is rumored to have been bisexual, and certainly he had close friendships with several known homosexuals such as the author Horatio Brown and artist Lord Ronald Gower. Legend has it that Princess Louise bricked up a window in Kensington Palace to stop Lorne's nighttime 'cruising' for soldiers in the park.

More importantly, Lorne was an associate and confidant of the handsome but dissolute homosexual Frank Shackleton, (brother of the explorer Sir Ernest), who was a key suspect in the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels. Shackleton was to defraud Lord Ronald Gower of money, and there is clear evidence that official investigation of the theft of the Crown Jewels was suppressed. It has been suggested that this is because authorities became aware of the Lorne connection to Shackleton.

On November 25th, 1878, the Marquis was sworn in as the Governor of Canada in Halifax. When Lord Lorne's appointment was announced, there was great excitement throughout Canada. For the first time, Rideau Hall would have a royal resident. The Canadian Prime Minister relaxed his busy campaign schedule to prepare for her arrival and to organize a special carriage and corps of guards to protect the princess.

During Lord Lorne's term of office, the recession plaguing the Canadian economy ended and Sir John A. MacDonald returned as Prime Minister. Canada was experiencing a renewal of optimism and an upswing of nationalism.

Marquess of LorneAt age 33, Lord Lorne was Canada's youngest Governor General, but he was not too young to handle the many demands of his post. He and Princess Louise encouraged the establishment of the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the National Gallery of Canada, even selecting some of its first paintings. In addition to acting as a patron of arts and letters in Canada, Lord Lorne was the author of many books of prose and poetry.

Throughout his term of office, Lord Lorne was intensely interested in Canada and Canadians. He travelled throughout the country encouraging the establishment of numerous institutions, and met with members of Canada's First Nations and with other Canadians from all walks of life.

They returned to England in 1883. Lord Lorne was Governor and constable of Windsor Castle from 1892 to 1914, and he sat as a member of the House of Commons in England from 1895 until the death of his father on April 24, 1900, when he became the 9th Duke of Argyll. He and Princess Louise lived at Kensington Palace until his death. Princess Louise died on December 3, 1939, at the age of 91.

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