Victor Stanley

Victor Albert Stanley, born on 17 January 1867 and deceased on 9 June 1934, was a senior officer in the Royal Navy. He held the rank of admiral and commanded the Reserve Fleet during his service.

Born in England, he was the son of Frederick Stanley, the 16th Earl of Derby, which conferred upon him the courtesy title "The Honourable." His early education and entry into naval service commenced in 1880. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in 1889 and advanced to the rank of commander in January 1901. By 1905, he had achieved the rank of captain.

Throughout his naval career, Victor Stanley held various positions. In 1905, he served as a naval attaché to Russia. He became the commanding officer of the cruiser HMS Essex in 1909. In 1912, he was appointed as the Captain of the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. During World War I, he commanded the battleship HMS Erin from 1914 to 1917. In 1918, he served as the naval attaché in the British delegation to Washington, D.C. The following year, in 1919, he became the Second-in-Command of the 1st Battle Squadron.

In 1924, Stanley was appointed Vice Admiral and took command of the Reserve Fleet. He was promoted to the rank of full admiral on 2 March 1926 and retired from active service later that year. Beyond his military career, he also engaged in politics; he was an unsuccessful Conservative Party candidate for the electoral district of Blackpool in the 1923 general election.

Regarding his family, he married in 1896 to Annie Bickerton Pooley, a Canadian and the daughter of the Honorable C. E. Pooley, a notable figure in British Columbia.

References for further information are noted, although specific sources are not listed here.