Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire

His Grace The Duke of Devonshire KG GCVO PC PC (Ire) FRS
The 8th Duke of Devonshire, by Alexander Bassano, c. 1883
Leader of the House of Lords
In office 12 July 1902 – 13 October 1903
Monarch	Edward VII
Prime Minister	Arthur Balfour
Preceded by	The Marquess of Salisbury
Succeeded by	The Marquess of Lansdowne
President of the Board of Education
In office 3 March 1900 – 8 August 1902
Monarchs	Victoria Edward VII
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Salisbury Arthur Balfour
Preceded by	Sir John Eldon Gorst
Succeeded by	The Marquess of Londonderry
Lord President of the Council
In office 29 June 1895 – 19 October 1903
Monarchs	Victoria Edward VII
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Salisbury Arthur Balfour
Preceded by	The Earl of Rosebery
Succeeded by	The Marquess of Londonderry
Cabinet offices 1868–1885 Secretary of State for War In office 16 December 1882 – 9 June 1885 Monarch Victoria Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone Preceded by Hugh Childers Succeeded by W. H. Smith In office 16 February 1866 – 26 June 1866 Monarch Victoria Prime Minister The Earl Russell Preceded by The Earl de Grey Succeeded by Jonathan Peel Secretary of State for India In office 28 April 1880 – 16 December 1882 Monarch Victoria Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone Preceded by The Viscount Cranbrook Succeeded by The Earl of Kimberley Chief Secretary for Ireland In office 12 January 1871 – 17 February 1874 Monarch Victoria Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone Preceded by Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue Succeeded by Michael Hicks Beach Postmaster General In office 9 December 1868 – 14 January 1871 Monarch Victoria Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone Preceded by The Duke of Montrose Succeeded by William Monsell
Junior ministerial offices Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War In office 2 May 1863 – 17 February 1866 Monarch Victoria Prime Minister The Viscount Palmerston The Earl Russell Preceded by The Earl de Grey Succeeded by The Lord Dufferin and Claneboye Civil Lord of the Admiralty In office 23 March 1863 – 2 May 1863 Monarch Victoria Prime Minister The Viscount Palmerston Preceded by Samuel Whitbread Succeeded by James Stansfeld
Party political offices Leader of the Conservative Party in the House of Lords In office 1902–1903 Overall Leader Arthur Balfour Preceded by The Marquess of Salisbury Succeeded by The Marquess of Landsowne Leader of the Liberal Unionist Party in the House of Lords In office 1891–1903 Commons Leader Joseph Chamberlain Preceded by The Earl of Derby Succeeded by The Marquess of Landsowne Leader of the Liberal Unionist Party in the House of Commons In office 1886–1891 Lords Leader The Earl of Derby Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Joseph Chamberlain Leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons In office 3 February 1875 – 23 April 1880 Lords Leader The Earl Granville Preceded by William Ewart Gladstone Succeeded by William Ewart Gladstone
Personal details
Born	(1833-07-23)23 July 1833 Cartmel, Cumbria, United Kingdom
Died	24 March 1908(1908-03-24) (aged 74) Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, United Kingdom
Political party	Liberal Unionist (1886–1908) Liberal (1857–1886)
Spouse	Louisa Frederica Augusta von Alten ​ ​ (m. 1892)​
Parents	William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire Lady Blanche Howard
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Unit	Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry Sherwood Foresters 1st Sussex Artillery Volunteers

Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire, KG, GCVO, PC, PC (Ire), FRS (23 July 1833 – 24 March 1908), styled Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1834 and 1858 and Marquess of Hartington between 1858 and 1891,^[1] was a British statesman. He has the distinction of having held leading positions in three political parties: leading the Liberal Party, the Liberal Unionist Party and the Conservative Party in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords. After 1886 he increasingly voted with the Conservatives. He declined to become prime minister on three occasions, because the circumstances were never right. Historian and politician Roy Jenkins said he was "too easy-going and too little of a party man." He held some passions, but he rarely displayed them regarding the most controversial issues of the day.^[2]