The Viscount Monck - Sir Charles Stanley Monck, 4th Viscount
1st Governor General of Canada, Governor of Prince Edward Island
Term:
1867-1868
Born:
October 10, 1819, Tipperary, Ireland
Died:
November 29, 1894, London, England
Charles Stanley Monck, the 4th Viscount Monck, was born in Ireland, but as a member of the Irish peerage he was not entitled to hold a seat in the British House of Lords. He therefore took a career in law and in 1852 became a member of the British Parliament. He served in the British Cabinet for two years and was appointed Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of all British North America in 1861.
As Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief, Viscount Monck worked actively with John A. MacDonald and other Fathers of Confederation to form the new nation of Canada. He also represented Britain in relations with the United States, which were strained during this period. In fact, Monck's primary reason for wanting Confederation was to stem American expansionism.
His term in North America was to end in 1867, but Queen Victoria recognized his part in creating Confederation and rewarded him with the position of Governor General. If Monck had his way, his title would have been Viceroy and Canada would have been a kingdom instead of a dominion. However, it was determined that these titles might disturb the Americans, who had thrown off all vestiges of royalty less than 100 years earlier.
As Governor-General, Viscount Monck's first duty was to call on Sir John A. MacDonald to form a government. He represented the Queen at the opening of the first session of Parliament on November 7, 1867 by reading the first Speech from the Throne.
Monck remained Governor General for only 18 months. In 1868 he returned to Ireland, where he served as Lord Lieutenant of the County of Dublin for almost 20 years. He died in 1894.
