| Creator: |
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| Date of birth: |
1814 |
| Date of death: |
1877 |
| Biography: |
The third Viscount Canterbury (1814-1877), governor, was born on 21 May 1814 in London and baptized John Henry Thomas, the younger son of Charles Manners-Sutton and his first wife Lucia Maria Charlotte, née Denison. His paternal grandfather was archbishop of Canterbury in 1805-28; his father was eight times speaker of the House of Commons and became Viscount Canterbury in 1835. Like his father, John Henry Thomas was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge (M.A., 1835). He entered Lincoln's Inn in September but soon abandoned law and turned to politics. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1839 but unseated for bribery. He represented Cambridge Borough in 1841-47, and was under-secretary of the Home Department in Peel's ministry from September 1841 to July 1846. He began his colonial career as lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick in 1854-61 and governor of Trinidad in 1864-66. On 15 August 1866 he was sworn in as governor of Victoria.
After the death of his brother in 1869 Manners-Sutton became the third Viscount Canterbury. His whole governorship was characterized by a deep sense of responsibility. From his speeches and dispatches Canterbury gave little evidence of a colourful or dynamic personality but he was a just and conscientious governor. His popularity in Victoria was well established when he left Melbourne in March 1873. He returned to England, took his seat in the House of Lords. He died in London on 24 June 1877. On 5 July 1838 he had married Georgiana Tomson. One of their seven children, Anna Maria Georgiana, married Charles Edward Bright (who, with brother Reginald and W H Hart founded Bright Bros in Melbourne in 1853) in 1868. On their wedding the city and ships in the bay were decorated and a special train took the couple to their honeymoon at Queenscliff.
Turnbull, Jennifer, 'Canterbury, third Viscount (1814–1877)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/canterbury-third-viscount-3161/text4727, accessed 18 April 2012.
Hone, J. Ann, 'Bright, Charles Edward (1829–1915)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bright-charles-edward-149/text4499, accessed 18 April 2012. |
| Activities/Occupation: |
Governors |
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