John Manners-Sutton, 3rd Viscount Canterbury

John Henry Thomas Manners-Sutton, 3rd Viscount Canterbury GCMG KCB styled The Honourable John Manners-Sutton between 1814 and 1866 and Sir John Manners-Sutton between 1866 and 1869, was a British Tory politician and colonial administrator.

Background and education

A member of the Manners family headed by the Duke of Rutland, Manners-Sutton was born at Downing Street, London, the second and youngest son of Charles Manners-Sutton, 1st Viscount Canterbury, Speaker of the House of Commons, by his first wife Lucy, daughter of John Denison. His mother died when he was one year old. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating with a MA in 1835. In his youth he played first-class cricket for Cambridge University Cricket Club and Marylebone Cricket Club.

Political career

Manners-Sutton was returned to Parliament for Cambridge in September 1839. However, in April 1840 his election was declared void. He was returned for the same constituency in 1841 and held it until 1847. He served as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1841 to 1846 in Sir Robert Peel's second administration.

Colonial governor

In 1854 Manners-Sutton was appointed Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, a post he held until 1861. He later served as Governor of Trinidad from 1864 to 1866 and as Governor of Victoria from 1866 to 1873. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1866 and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1873. In 1869 he succeeded in the viscountcy of Canterbury on the death of his unmarried elder brother.

Family

He married, on 5 July 1838, Georgiana, youngest daughter of Charles Tompson of Witchingham Hall, Norfolk, by whom he had five sons, and two daughters:

• Henry Charles, who succeeded him as Viscount Canterbury;
• Graham Edward Henry, who died 30 Mav 1888 ;
• George Kett Henry, who died 2 March 1865 ;
• John Gurney Henry,
• Robert Henry, who was called to the bar at the Inner Temple on 7 May 1879
• Anna Maria Georgiana, who married, on 25 August 1868, Charles Edward Bright, C.M.G., of Toorak, Australia;
• Mabel Georgiana.

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Barker, George Fisher Russell (1893). "Manners-Sutton, John Henry Thomas". In Lee, Sidney. Dictionary of National Biography. 36. London: Smith, Elder & Co.