William Cavendish, 2nd Baron Chesham

William George Cavendish, 2nd Baron Chesham, was born on 29 October 1815. He was a member of the British Cavendish family, which is headed by the Duke of Devonshire. His parents were Charles Compton Cavendish, 1st Baron Chesham, and Lady Catherine Susan Gordon. His father was the fourth son of George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington, who was the third son of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, a former Prime Minister. His mother was the daughter of George Gordon, 9th Marquess of Huntly, and Catherine Cope.

He had two younger sisters: Hon. Susan Sophia Cavendish, who was married to Thomas Trevor, 22nd Baron Dacre, and Hon. Harriet Elizabeth Cavendish, who was married to George Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford. William George Cavendish was educated at Eton College.

From 1833 to 1840, Cavendish served as an officer in the 10th Light Dragoons. His family commissioned architect Edward Blore to design a new family residence, Latimer House, which was completed in 1838.

In 1847, Cavendish was elected as a Member of Parliament for Peterborough, representing the Liberal Party. He served in this capacity until 1852. Afterwards, he represented Buckinghamshire as a Member of Parliament alongside Benjamin Disraeli from 1857 to 1863. In 1863, he inherited the barony from his father and took his seat in the House of Lords.

His father was created Baron Chesham of Chesham on 15 January 1858 and was a Member of Parliament for nearly four decades prior to that.

William George Cavendish served as president of the Royal Agricultural Society in 1876.

On 24 July 1849, he married Henrietta Frances Lascelles at Kensington Church in London. Henrietta was born in 1830 and was the daughter of William Lascelles, who served as Comptroller of the Household, and Lady Caroline Georgiana Howard, a daughter of George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle.

They had several children, including:

- Charles Compton William Cavendish, who became the 3rd Baron Chesham and was born in 1850. He married Lady Beatrice Constance Grosvenor, daughter of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster.

- Hon. Georgiana Caroline Cavendish, born in 1852, married Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester, as his second wife, in 1875.

- Hon. Mary Susan Caroline Cavendish, born in 1853, married Charles Lyttelton, 8th Viscount Cobham, in 1878.

- Hon. Katherine Caroline Cavendish, born in 1857, married Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, as his second wife, in 1882.

- Hon. William Edwin Cavendish, born in 1862, married Elizabeth Janet Baillie in 1885.

William George Cavendish died on 26 June 1882 at Latimer House in Buckinghamshire, aged 66. His eldest son succeeded him as the 3rd Baron Chesham. His widow, Henrietta Frances Lascelles, died nearly two years later, on 21 May 1884.