| Biography: |
Eldest son of Charles Joseph Kelly Monck, 3rd Viscount Monck; educated as lawyer at Trinity College, Dublin, and then at the Inns of Court; was called to the Irish bar at King's Inn (1841); succeeded to the peerage of Ireland (1849); elected (1852) to the United Kingdom House of Commons as a Liberal member from Portsmouth; served as a lord of the treasury (1855-1858); was appointed Governor General of British North America (28 Oct 1861 - 1 Jul 1867); displayed considerable diplomatic skill in dealing with Canadian-American tensions; influenced strengthening of the Canadian federation, overcoming opposition in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick; as a mark of favor, the government extended his term so that he become the first Governor General of Canada (1 Jul 1867 - 2 Feb 1869); after the end of his term, he was knighted and appointed to the U.K. privy council; returned to Ireland and served as Lord Lieutenant of the County of Dublin (1874-1892). |
| Biographical sources: Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. 12 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1990) |
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| [1] |
Sessional papers, vol. 7, No. 22. |
| [2] |
The Globe, No. 157, 2 Jul 1867, p. 2. |
| [3] |
Canada Gazette, No. 32, 6 Feb 1869, pp. 453-454. |
| [4] |
Monck permanently left Canada on 14 Nov 1868 via Quebec City aboard S.S. Nestorian (Quebec Daily Mercury, No. 278, 14 Nov 1868, p. 2). His functions were taken over by Sir Charles Ash Windham (Canada Gazette, No. 21, 21 Nov 1868, pp. 299-300) as
Administrator of the Government of the Dominion of Canada = Administrateur du Gouvernement de la Puissance du Canada (14 Nov 1868 - 1 Dec 1868), who continued in office until the installation of Sir John Young to hold the same office. The term of office of Monck did not formally end until Sir John Young was installed as Governor-General of Canada on 2 Feb 1869. |
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Image: photograph, Archives nationales du Québec, c. 1860. |
