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The Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (Arthur William Patrick Albert) ( 1 May 1850 – 16 January 1942 ) was a member of the British Royal Family , a son of Queen Victoria . Arthur served as the Governor General Of Canada from 1911 to 1916 . He was created Duke Of Connaught And Strathearn and Earl Of Sussex in 1874 . EARLY LIFE Arthur was born on , Princess Bernard Of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and the Duke Of Wellington (with whom he shared his birthday and whom he was named after). ARMY SERVICE Like his elder brothers, he received his early education from tutors. Prince Arthur became interested in the army at early age. In 1866, he entered the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich and received a commission as a lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Engineers two years later. He later transferred to the Royal Regiment Of Artillery and then to the Rifle Brigade . Arthur had a long and distinguished career in the British Army that included service in South Africa , Canada , Ireland , Egypt in 1882 and in India from 1886 to 1890 . On 1 April 1893 , he was promoted to the rank of general. Arthur had hoped to succeed his First Cousin Once-removed , the elderly Duke Of Cambridge , as Commander-in-chief of the British Army, upon the latter's forced retirement in 1895. However, this was denied to him. Instead, he held command in the southern district of Aldershot from 1893 to 1898. Arthur became a Field Marshal on 26 June 1902 . He served in various important positions thereafter, as Commander-in-Chief in Ireland (1900-1904); Inspector-General of the Forces ( 1904 - 1907 ), and as Governor General Of Canada ( 1911 - 1916 ). MARRIAGE On 13 March 1879 , Arthur married Princess Luise Margarete Of Prussia , the daughter of Prince Friedrich of Prussia and a grand-niece of the German Emperor Wilhelm I , at St. George's Chapel, Windsor . The couple had three children:
The Duke and Duchess of Connaught acquired Bagshot Park in Surrey as their country home and after 1900 used Clarence House as their London residence. FREEMASONRY When his brother was obliged to resign the office upon his accession as Edward VII , Prince Arthur was elected Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge Of England , and was annually reelected 37 times until 1939, when he was nearly 90. DUKEDOM OF SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA In 1899, Arthur came into direct line of succession to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in Germany , upon the death of his nephew, the only son of his elder brother, the Prince Alfred, Duke Of Edinburgh . He decided, however, to renounce his own and his son's succession rights to the duchy, which then passed to his nephew, Prince Charles Edward, the posthumous son of Prince Leopold, Duke Of Albany . GOVERNOR GENERAL OF CANADA In 1911 , the British government appointed Arthur to the post of Governor General Of Canada . During Arthur's term of office as governor general, Sir Robert Borden was Prime Minister and Canada was making steady progress in its transformation from British colony to independent nation. Governors General however, were still appointed by the British, and Arthur was the first member of the British Royal Family to serve in the post (though his sister Princess Louise had been the wife of a previous Governor General, Lord Lorne), helping to strengthen ties between the British Monarchy and Canada . Arthur travelled to Canada, with his wife, the Duchess of Connaught, and his youngest daughter, Princess Patricia. They lived together at Rideau Hall in Ottawa , and travelled extensively throughout Canada. Arthur served as laiason between the British government and Canada during World War I. He re-laid the cornerstone of the burned-out federal parliament building in 1917. The stone had been set in the original buildin by Prince Albert Edward (later Edward VII) in 1860. Both the Duchess and Princess became popular figures in Canadian society. The Connaughts also made many improvements to Rideau Hall during the Arthur's term as Governor General. WORLD WAR ONE
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