Monck obtained a law degree from
Trinity College Dublin. He married his cousin Lady Elizabeth Monck (one of Lord Rathdowne's daughters) in 1844, and in 1849 he inherited his father's title as 4th Viscount Monck. In 1852 he was elected
MP for
Portsmouth (as an Irish peer, he had no seat in the
House of Lords), and from 1855 to 1858 he served as
Lord of the Treasury under
Lord Palmerston.
Governor General of Canada In 1861, he was appointed
Governor General of
British North America as well as Governor of the
Province of Canada. Lord and Lady Monck and their children came to Canada, but they did not remain throughout his term of office as Governor General of Canada. The family resided at
Spencerwood in Quebec during most of their stay in Canada. During this time, the Canadian colonies were beginning to organise themselves into a federation. The
American Civil War had just broken out, and the
Trent Affair caused diplomatic tension between the United States and Britain. The Canadian government was eager to gain some measure of independence during this turbulent period. The
Quebec Conference, the
Charlottetown Conference, and the
London Conference, at which the details of confederation were discussed, all took place during Monck's time as governor. Monck supported the idea, and worked closely with
John A. Macdonald,
George Brown,
George-Étienne Cartier, and
Étienne-Paschal Taché, who formed the "
Great Coalition" in 1864. In 1866, Monck was created a
peer of the United Kingdom with the title
Baron Monck, which gave him a seat in the House of Lords. When the Canadian colonies became a semi-independent dominion the next year, Monck became the country's first Governor General. Monck was also responsible for establishing
Rideau Hall as the residence of the Governor General in
Ottawa.
Later life In 1869, Monck was succeeded by
Sir John Young (later Lord Lisgar). He returned home to Ireland, where he became
Lord Lieutenant of Dublin in 1874. From 1870-72, he presided over a
Commission of Inquiry into the
King's Inns, Dublin. ==Personal life==