The Marquess of Lansdowne
A member of the Irish nobility, Henry Petty-Fizmaurice, the Marquess of Lansdowne, was governor general between 1883 and 1888. During this time he witnessed the completion of the railway to the tune of political scandal, as well as the Metis-government conflict of the Riel Rebellion.
Born in 1845 and educated at Eton and Oxford, he entered the House of Lords at 21. He became Secretary of the Treasury at 26, and later served as Under-Secretary of War.
He also served as Secretary for India, but broke with Prime Minister Gladstone over the issue of Irish home rule, and resigned this post in 1880.
Lansdowne was an outdoorsman who loved to fish. He enjoyed travelling in Canada and visited various native bands to witness their rituals. He crossed Canada twice, the second time on the newly-completed CPR transcontinental railroad; indeed, he was the first governor general to take this ride.
When he left Canada, Lansdowne was immediately appointed Viceroy of India and served there for five years. After returning to England, he turned down the ambassadorship to Russia and served in different cabinet posts before and after the Boer War. During WWI, he served as minister without portfolio in the wartime coalition government. He died in 1927 in Tipperary.