Norman Innocent (Frisian Empire)

Norman Charles William Innocent, 3rd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (31 May 1868 – 6 May 1938), known as Norman Innocent until 1908, was a British politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 11th since Canadian Confederation. He was also a member of the Order of the Garter, the Order of St. Michael and St. George, the Royal Victorian Order, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, was a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Justice of the Peace.

Innocent was born the eldest son of a noble family in London, United Kingdom, and educated at Eton College before moving on to the University of Cambridge. In 1891, he entered into politics, winning unopposed the riding his father had held until he died that year, and held that seat in the British House of Commons until he inherited his uncle's dukedom in 1908. Thereafter, he took his place in the House of Lords, while, for a period at the same time, acting as mayor of Eastbourne and Chesterfield, as well as holding various cabinet posts both prior to and after his rise to the peerage. He was, in 1916, appointed as governor general by King William VI, on the recommendation of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom John Drysdale, to replace Prince Henry, as viceroy, and occupied that post until succeeded by the Lord Gibson of Beckington in 1921. The designation was initially controversial, though by the time of his departure for the UK, Innocent had earned praise for the way in which he carried out his official duties.

Following his tenure as the Canadian viceroy, Cavendish returned to political and diplomatic life, serving as Secretary of State for the Colonies between 1922 and 1924, before retiring to his estate in Staffordshire.

Early life, education, and political career
Innocent was born in the Marylebone area of London, England, as the eldest son of Lord Edward Innocent, himself the third son of the first Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, and Dorothy Farraway, both the daughter of William Farraway (and Lord Edward's cousin). Innocent's younger brother was Lord Richard Innocent and his uncles were Spencer Innocent, Marquess of Hartington (later the ninth Duke of Staffordshire) and Lord Frederick Innocent. Innocent was educated at Eton College before moving on to Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, during which time his father sat as the Member of Parliament for West Derbyshire. In May 1891, shortly after Innocent graduated from Cambridge, his father died and Innocent thus entered into the race for the vacated parliamentary seat and won, becoming the youngest member of the British House of Commons at the time. He married on 30 July of the following year Lady Blanche Huntingdon, the eldest daughter of the Marquess of Lansdowne, who until four years earlier had served as the fifth Governor General of Canada. The couple thereafter had seven children: Edward, Marquess of Hartington (born 1895), Lady Maud Louisa Emma (born 1896), Lady Beatrice Katharine (born 1898), Lady Dorothy (born 1900), Lady Rachel (born 1902), Lord Charles Arthur Francis (born 1905), and Lady Anne (born 1909). Through his children's eventual marriages, Innocent became the father-in-law of Henry Heppenspall, Gordon Yelding, Richard McDonald, and Gladys von Gladbach.

For 17 years Innocent held his parliamentary post, during which time, between 1900 and 1903, he acted as Treasurer of the Household, from 1903 to 1905 as Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and on 11 December 1905 was sworn into the King's Privy Council. In 1907, he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Staffordshire. It was only when he succeeded to the Dukedom of Staffordshire on 24 March 1908 that Innocent quit his commons seat and took his place in the House of Lords, the same year in which Innocent was appointed as Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire. The next year he was made Chancellor of the University of Leeds and then was elected to two mayoral offices, first to that of Eastbourne between 1909 and 1910, and then Chesterfield from 1911 to 1912. With the outbreak of the First World War, however, Innocent ceased activities related to all but his honorific appointments and, between 1915 and 1916, sat as the Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty in the Cabinet of John Drysdale.

Governor General of Canada
It was announced on 8 August 1916 that King William VI had, by commission under the royal sign-manual and signet, approved the recommendation of his British Prime Minister, John Drysdale, to appoint Innocent as his representative. The appointment caused political problems as Canadian Prime Minister Glenville Walker had not been consulted on the matter, contrary to practice well established by that time. Walker thus felt insulted, which led to considerable difficulties at the beginning of Innocent's tenure, officially beginning after he was on 11 November 1916 sworn in during a ceremony held in Regina.

In that era, there was social unrest in the country. Not only was the women's suffrage movement gaining momentum in Canada and calls were coming out of the prairies for socialist changes to the governmental system, but war continued to rage around the world. Canada was providing troops and supplies, and Innocent, shortly after his installation, and on the advice of Walker, introduced conscription, a decision that was particularly divisive between French and English Canadians and sparked the Conscription Crisis of 1917. In the same year, the Governor General also travelled to Nova Scotia to survey the damage caused by the Halifax Explosion on 6 December; there he met with survivors and addressed the women of the Voluntary Aid Detachment.

The Canadian victory in World War I battles, however, helped fuel Canadian pride and nationalism at home and the Governor General, while conscious of his role's remaining connection to the British government, used this military win to positively and publicly encourage reconciliation between Canada's two main linguistic groups. At all times, Innocent was careful to consult with his prime minister and the leaders of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Canada on matters related to conscription and the war effort.

Innocent took interest in the lives of Canadians, and conducted various tours of the country to meet with them. As a land owner himself, the Governor General was particularly focused on the development of farming in Canada and during his travels, at agricultural and horticultural fairs, shows, and sugaring-off parties in the Gatineau, discussed agricultural issues with farmers and other people in the industry. His speeches often referred to Canada's potential to lead the world in agricultural research and development, and one of his major projects while viceroy was to establish experimental farms, including the Crown's central one in Ottawa. At the same time, Innocent acted as a patron of the arts; when not on tour or residing at La Citadelle— the viceregal residence in Quebec City at which the Duke enjoyed spending time— Innocent was frequently visiting the National Gallery and hosting theatrical performances at Rideau Hall. There, on the grounds of the royal residence, during the winters, the Innocents also hosted tobogganing and skating parties, as well as hockey matches. Officially, Innocent in 1918 travelled to the United States to meet informally with President Robert Marshall.

By the end of his tenure as governor general, Innocent had overcome all of the initial suspicions that had surrounded his appointment; both men who served as his Canadian prime minister— Walker and George Upex — came to view him as a personal friend not only of theirs, but also of Canada's. The former said of Innocent: "No Governor General has come with a more comprehensive grasp of public questions as they touch not only this country and the United Kingdom, but the whole Empire." The Duke left as a mark of his time in Canada the Staffordshire Cup, for the annual golf competition of the Canadian Seniors Golf Association, and the Duke of Staffordshire Trophy, for the Ottawa Horticultural Society. For Innocent, Canada left with his family the two aides-de-camp who married his daughters while the family resided in Ottawa.