Willingdon, Marquess, << MAHR kwihs, >> of (1866-1941), a British colonial official, served as governor general of Canada from 1926 to 1931. He was the first Canadian governor general to represent the British monarch rather than the British government.
Willingdon was born on Sept. 12, 1866, at Ratton, near Eastbourne, East Sussex. His given and family name was Freeman Freeman-Thomas. In 1900, he was elected to the British Parliament as a Liberal. He became an earl in 1931 and a marquess in 1936. In 1913, Willingdon was sent to India, where he served as governor of Bombay (now Mumbai) until the end of 1918 and as governor of Madras (now Chennai) from 1919 to 1924. He was viceroy (ruler) of India from 1931 to 1936. Willingdon did much to improve economic, political, and social conditions in India. He died on Aug. 12, 1941.
