Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 4th Duke of Sutherland facts for kids

Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, the 4th Duke of Sutherland, was an important British nobleman and politician. He was born on July 20, 1851, and passed away on June 27, 1913. He held several titles throughout his life, including Lord Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Earl Gower, and Marquess of Stafford, before becoming the Duke of Sutherland in 1892. He was a member of the well-known Leveson-Gower family.

Early Life and Education

Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower was the oldest son of George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland. He was born in London, the capital city of England. For his education, he attended Eton College, a famous boarding school.

A Life of Service and Politics

Military Career

The Duke of Sutherland had a long career in the military. He started in the 2nd Regiment of Life Guards as a cornet, which was a junior officer rank. He left the regular army in 1875 as a lieutenant.

Later, he joined the Staffordshire Yeomanry, a volunteer cavalry unit. He became a Captain in 1876 and led the regiment as a Lieutenant-Colonel from 1891 to 1898. After that, he became its honorary colonel. He also served as a Lieutenant-Colonel for the Sutherland Rifles, a volunteer regiment in Scotland. From 1911 until his death, he was an honorary colonel for the 5th battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders.

Political Roles

Before he became Duke, when he was known as the Marquess of Stafford, he was a member of Parliament (MP) for Sutherland. He was elected in 1874 as a member of the Liberal Party. He held this position until 1886.

When his father passed away in 1892, he inherited his father's titles and became a member of the House of Lords. By this time, his political views had changed, and he joined the Conservative Party. He also served as the Mayor of Longton, a town near Stoke-on-Trent, from 1895 to 1896. He was also an alderman (a senior member of the local council) for the borough starting in 1898.

The Duke was also involved in local activities. For several years, he was the Master of Foxhounds for the North Staffordshire Hunt, which meant he was in charge of the local fox hunting group. From 1908, he was the President of the Staffordshire Territorial Forces Association.

Managing His Wealth

Even though he was very wealthy, the Duke became worried about his large landholdings. He felt that his estates were no longer making enough money. Towards the end of his life, he decided to sell some of his properties in Great Britain. These included Trentham Hall and Stafford House. He started moving his money to Canada.

Special Recognition

The Duke received a very high honor in 1902. He was made a Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG). This is one of the most important awards in Britain. Edward VII, the King at the time, personally gave him this honor at Buckingham Palace.

Family Life

On October 20, 1884, Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower married Lady Millicent St Clair-Erskine. She was the daughter of Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn. They had four children together:

• Lady Victoria Elizabeth Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1885–1888), who sadly passed away when she was very young.
• George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland (1888–1963), who later became the 5th Duke.
• Lord Alastair St. Clair Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1890–1921). He married Elizabeth Demarest. They were the parents of Elizabeth Sutherland, 24th Countess of Sutherland.
• Lady Rosemary Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1893–1930). She married William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley. She died in a plane crash.

In 1900, the Duke of Sutherland owned a vast amount of land, about 1,358,000 acres (which is about 550,000 hectares). He also owned a large steam yacht called Catania. This yacht was often rented out by very rich people of that time.

The Duke of Sutherland passed away at Dunrobin Castle, in Sutherland, Scotland, on June 27, 1913. He was 61 years old. He was buried at Dunrobin.