Charles Stanley Monck was born in Templemore, County Tipperary, Ireland. He was the son of Charles Monck and his wife Bridget née Willington. His father was the younger son of Charles Monck, 1st Viscount Monck and the former Anne Quin. After his grandfather's death in 1802, the viscountcy had been inherited by his father's elder brother, Henry Monck, who in 1822 was further created Earl of Rathdowne. However, in 1848, Lord Rathdowne died without male heirs (albeit with many daughters), the earldom became extinct, and Monck's father succeeded as 3rd Viscount. His maternal grandparents were John Willington of Killoskehan Castle in Barnane, and the former Bridget Butler (daughter of Theobald Butler of Knocka Castle in Drom).[citation needed]
Career
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.
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 confederation 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.
On 23 June 1844, he married Lady Elizabeth Louise Mary Monck, his first cousin and the daughter of his uncle Henry, the 2nd Viscount, who had been made Earl of Rathdowne in 1822. Together, they were the parents of two sons and two daughters:[2]