Edward Stanley, Lord Stanley

Edward Montagu Cavendish Stanley, known by the courtesy title Lord Stanley from 1908, was born on 9 July 1894 at 36 Great Cumberland Place, Marylebone, London. He was the eldest son of Hon. Edward Stanley, later the 17th Earl of Derby, and Lady Alice Montagu. As the heir apparent of the Stanley family, he was part of a prominent British aristocratic and political lineage.

His paternal lineage included the 16th Earl of Derby, a former Member of Parliament for Lancashire, who served as Colonial Secretary and Governor-General of Canada. His great-grandfather, the 14th Earl of Derby, was a significant Conservative leader, serving as the party's Leader for 22 years and as Prime Minister on three separate occasions. His maternal grandfather was William Montagu, the 7th Duke of Manchester, also involved in politics as a Conservative peer and Member of Parliament. Additionally, his maternal grandmother married Spencer, Duke of Devonshire, known as Lord Hartington, who was a leader of the Liberal Party before succeeding to his peerage.

Lord Stanley was educated at Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford. His familial connections extended into various political and military figures, including his sister Lady Victoria, who married Neil Primrose and later Malcolm Bullock; his younger brother Oliver Stanley, whose son Richard became an MP; and his uncles Sir Arthur and Sir George Stanley, both Conservative Members of Parliament.

In military service, Lord Stanley was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 2 July 1914, shortly before the outbreak of the First World War. He served in the Grenadier Guards, where he received promotions to temporary lieutenant, substantive lieutenant, and later captain. During the war, he served in Italy and was awarded the Military Cross on 3 June 1919. His military career concluded with his retirement from active duty on 27 November 1920, after which he entered the reserve of officers.

Politically, Lord Stanley was first elected to Parliament in a by-election for Liverpool Abercromby on 28 June 1917. The seat was abolished in 1918, but he returned to Parliament in the 1922 general election as a representative for Fylde. He held various governmental positions, including Junior Lord of the Treasury (1924–1927), Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party (1927–1929), and, under the National Government, he served as Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty. On 26 February 1934, he was sworn into the Privy Council.

In 1935, Lord Stanley was appointed Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs and later held positions as Under-Secretary of State for India and Burma. On 16 May 1938, he was appointed Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, sitting in the cabinet alongside his brother Oliver Stanley, who was President of the Board of Trade.

His tenure in cabinet was brief; he died on 16 October 1938 in Marylebone at the age of 44, five months after his appointment. Neville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister, paid tribute to him in the House of Commons, highlighting his interest in imperial relations, judgment, good sense, selflessness, and integrity.

In 1917, Lord Stanley married the Hon. Sibyl Louise Beatrix Cadogan, daughter of Henry Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea, heir to the Earl Cadogan. Their wedding took place at the Guards' Chapel, Wellington Barracks, in the presence of notable royal figures, including King George VI and Queen Mary. Sibyl was given away by her stepfather, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Hedworth Meux. They had three sons: Hon. Edward John (1918–1994), who succeeded as the 18th Earl of Derby; Hon. Richard Oliver (1920–1983), a Member of Parliament; and Hon. Hugh Henry Stanley (1926–1971), who was the father of Edward Stanley, the 19th Earl of Derby.

Lord Stanley's eldest son succeeded to the earldom in 1948 after his grandfather’s death. Lady Stanley died in June 1969 at the age of 76.