William Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester

His Grace The Duke of Manchester
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
In office 18 December 1905 – 20 April 1907
Monarch	Edward VII
Prime Minister	Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Preceded by	The Earl Waldegrave
Succeeded by	The Lord Allendale
Personal details
Born	3 March 1877
Died	9 February 1947 (aged 69) Seaford, Sussex
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Helena Zimmerman Kathleen Dawes
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge

William Angus Drogo Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester (3 March 1877 – 9 February 1947), styled The Honourable William A. D. Montagu from 1877 to 1890 and Viscount Mandeville from 1890 to 1892, was a British peer and Liberal politician. He served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard from 1905 to 1907 under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman.

Background and education

Manchester was the son of George Montagu, 8th Duke of Manchester, by his wife Consuelo Yznaga^[1] He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge.^[2]

Political career

Manchester succeeded his father in the dukedom in 1892 at the age of fifteen, and took his seat on the Liberal benches in the House of Lords in June 1902.^[3] When the Liberals came to power in December 1905 under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, he was appointed Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard. He retained this post until April 1907, but never held ministerial office again. Apart from his political career he also achieved the rank of Captain in the Lancashire Fusiliers.

His wife and a daughter in 1930

Personal life

Manchester married firstly Helena Zimmerman, at London on 14 November 1900. She was the daughter of Eugene Zimmerman of Cincinnati, Ohio, a railroad president and major stockholder in Standard Oil. (The marriage was secret and his mother, Consuelo, was appalled by it.) They had four children:

• Lady Mary Alice Montagu (Kimbolton Castle, Huntingdonshire, 26 October 1901 – Mexico City, Mexico, 9 October 1962), married 1949 to Fendall Littlepage Gregory, without issue.
• Alexander George Francis Drogo Montagu, 10th Duke of Manchester.
• Lord Edward Eugene Fernando Montagu (London, 26 July 1906 – Mexico, 4 May 1954/1956), married firstly 10 August 1929 (divorced 1937) to Norah Macfarlane Potter, daughter of Albert Edward Potter of Ontario, Canada, and wife, secondly at Brighton, 28 August 1937 (divorced 1947) to Dorothy Vera Peters, thirdly in Mexico, 1947 to Martha Mathews Hatton Bowen (d. 1951), fourthly August 1952 to Cora Kellie, Baroness Kelly, a portrait painter, and fifthly at Cuernavaca, Mexico, 28 September 1953 to Roberta Herold Joughlin.
  • Roderick Edward Alexander Montagu (b. 1 June 1930), married 1968 to Mary Deas.
• Lady Ellen Millicent Louise Montagu (Kylemore Castle, County Galway, 5 January 1908 – 2 August 1948), married firstly 1936 (divorced 1944) to Herman Martin Hofer and secondly 30 August 1945 to John Norman Shairp.

The Duke and Duchess of Manchester divorced in 1931. On 17 December 1931 Manchester married Kathleen Dawes (d. 28 March 1966), daughter of W. H. Dawes, Greenwich, Connecticut. There were no children from this marriage.

Manchester was a notorious spendthrift, and as a result of the excessive spending of both him and the prior two Dukes, the family's fortune (already low) was completely exhausted, culminating in the sale of the family's lands during the tenure of the tenth Duke. He spent much of his life abroad, evading creditors, seeking out wealthy consorts, and attempting to extract money from wealthy acquaintances.^[4] He is perhaps most well known in America from the leading case of Hamilton v. Drogo, 150 N.E. 496 (N.Y. 1926), which concerned the establishment of a spendthrift trust for the benefit of the young Duke.

The Duke of Manchester died at Seaford, Sussex, on 9 February 1947, aged 69, and was succeeded in his titles by his son Alexander.

Styles of address

• 1877-1890: The Honourable William Montagu
• 1890-1892: Viscount Mandeville
• 1892-1947: His Grace The Duke of Manchester

Ancestry

Ancestors of William Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester

16. William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester               8. George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester                       17. Lady Susan Gordon               4. William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester                             18. Brigadier General Robert Bernard Sparrow               9. Millicent Sparrow                       19. Lady Olivia French Acheson               2. George Montagu, 8th Duke of Manchester                                   20. Adolf Viktor Christian Jobst von Alten               10. Count Karl Franz Viktor von Alten                       21. Baroness Charlotte Louise Wilhelmine von Kinsky und Tettau               5. Countess Luise Friederike Auguste von Alten                             22. Christoph de Schminke               11. Hermine de Schminke                       23. Anna Helene Nebelthau               1. William Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester                                         24. Pedro José de Iznaga Pérez de Vargas Sotomayor Guzmán               12. Jose Antonio Iznaga y Borrell                       25. Maria del Carmen Borrell y Padrón               6. Don Antonio Modesto Yznaga del Valle                             26. Fernando Alfonso del Valle y Lorente               13. Maria Francisca del Valle y Castillo                       27. Ana Antonia Castillo y Barroso               3. Consuelo Yznaga                                   14. Samuel Clements                       7. Ellen Maria Clement                             30. William Little               15. Maria Augusta Little                       31. Frances Boyd

References

1. "LORD MANDEVILLE'S WEDDING.;". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 July 2015., Retrieved 5 December 2012.
2. "Manchester, William Angus Drogo, Duke of (MNCR894WA)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
3. "Parliament - House of Lords". The Times (36802). London. 24 June 1902. p. 6.
4. David Cannadine, The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy, 403 (1990)