His Excellency The Right Honourable Charles Stanley Monck, 4th Viscount Monck, 1st Baron Monck GCMG, PC Governor General & Commander-in-Chief of Canada

His Excellency The Right Honourable Charles Stanley Monck, 4^th Viscount Monck, 1^st Baron Monck GCMG, PC Governor General & Commander-in-Chief of Canada

Charles Stanley Monck was born in Templemore, Ireland in 1819 to Charles Joseph Kelly Monck, the 3^rd Viscount, and Bridget Willington.  He obtained a law degree at Trinity College, Dublin and married his first cousin Elizabeth Monck in 1844.  They had seven children, of whom four survived to adulthood.

In 1849 Monck inherited his father’s title to become the 4^th Viscount Monck and in 1852 he was elected to the House of Commons as parliament as MP for Portsmouth and from 1855 to 1858 was Lord of the Treasury under Lord Palmerston. 

In 1861 Viscount Monck was appointed as the Governor General of British North America.  The American Civil War had begun and had caused diplomatic unease between the United States and Britain, and the Canadian government was keen to distance itself from North America.  Monck worked alongside John A. MacDonald, George Brown, George Etienne Cartier and Etienne-Pachal Tache to form the Great Coalition in 1864, which united Canada. 

Between 1864 and 1866 the Quebec Conference, Charlottetown Conference and London Conference took place to discuss Canadian confederation.  Viscount Monck concurrently held the title of Lieutenant Governor of both Canada East and Canada West throughout these deliberations and in 1866 Queen Victoria elevated Viscount Monck to the peerage of the United Kingdom as Baron Monck of Ballytrammon.  Her Majesty also extended his term in Canada in order that he could become the first Governor General of the new Dominion.  The Coalition governed the Province of Canada until confederation in 1867 when Baron Monck took up this position, a role he held for one year. 

Baron Monck established Rideau Hall, Ottawa as the residence of the Governor General of Canada, a tradition which remains to this day.  Roads were poor so Baron Monck often travelled to Parliament by canopied boat on the River Ottawa.

Baron Monck was succeeded in 1869 by John Young, 1^st Baron Lisgar, at which time he returned to Ireland.  In 1869 Baron Monck was knighted (Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George) and appointed to the privy council.  He was made Lord Lieutenant of Dublin in 1874, and died in Ireland in 1894.

Coat of Arms of Viscount Monck

Arms: Gules (red) a chevron between three lions' heads erased Argent (silver/white).

Crest (shown above the coronet of a Viscount): A dragon passant wings elevated Sable.

Supporters (holding shield): Dexter (facing viewers left), a dragon; sinister (facing viewers right), a lion, both Argent (silver/white) and holding in the forepaw a branch of laurel resting on the shoulder fructed proper.