Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough

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The Earl of Bessborough
14th Governor General of Canada
In office April 4, 1931 – November 2, 1935
Preceded by	The Viscount Willingdon
Succeeded by	The Lord Tweedsmuir
Born	October 27, 1880 London, United Kingdom
Died	March 10, 1956 (aged 75)
Spouse	Roberte Ponsonby
Profession	Businessman
Religion	Anglican

Vere Brabazon Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough, GCMG, PC (October 27, 1880 – March 10, 1956) was a British Conservative Party politician, and Governor General of Canada from 1931 to 1935.

Born in London, Ponsonby attended Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge and went onto a career in law in 1903. On June 25, 1925, he married Roberte de Neuflize, the only daughter of Baron Jean de Neuflize of Paris. They had four children.

Lord Bessborough held public office prior to becoming Governor General. He held a seat in the London County Council from 1907 to 1910 and was elected to the British House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Cheltenham from January 1910 to December 1910, and for Dover from 1913 to 1920.

Upon the death of his father, he succeeded to the Earldom in the Irish peerage as 9th Earl of Bessborough and entered the House of Lords.

After World War I, he pursued a successful business career, holding directorships in several large commercial firms including deputy chairman of De Beers Consolidated Mines.

After Canada, Bessborough returned to the business world and on June 2, 1937, he was created 1st Earl of Bessborough in the United Kingdom for his services in Canada.

During the Second World War, he helped establish a department in the Foreign Office that looked after the welfare of French refugees in Britain. He made one last visit to Canada in 1956 and died in Stansted in 1957.

The Hotel Bessborough, a local landmark in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is named in his honour.

[edit] External links

• Office of the Secretary to the Governor General biography

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by John Edward Sears	Member of Parliament for Cheltenham 1910–1910	Succeeded by Richard Mathias
Preceded by George Wyndham	Member of Parliament for Dover 1913–1920	Succeeded by Sir Thomas Andrew Polson
Political offices
Preceded by The Viscount Willingdon	Governor General of Canada 1931–1935	Succeeded by The Lord Tweedsmuir
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by New creation	Earl of Bessborough (United Kingdom) 1937–1956	Succeeded by Frederick Ponsonby
Preceded by Edward Ponsonby	Earl of Bessborough (Ireland) 1920–1956

	Governors General of Canada
Monck | Lisgar | Dufferin | Lorne | Lansdowne | Stanley | Aberdeen | Minto | Grey | Connaught | Devonshire | Byng | Willingdon | Bessborough | Tweedsmuir | Athlone | Alexander | Massey | Vanier | Michener | Léger | Schreyer | Sauvé | Hnatyshyn | LeBlanc | Clarkson | Jean