Frederick Arthur Stanley, the 16th Earl of Derby, had been born on 15 January 1841. For many years he was known as the Honourable Frederick Stanley, and later, from 1886 until 1893, as Lord Stanley of Preston. A figure of both politics and sport, he had served Britain as a Conservative politician and had held some of the highest offices in the government. His time as Colonial Secretary ran from 24 June 1885 to 28 January 1886, before he crossed the Atlantic to serve as Governor General of Canada from 1 May 1888 to 18 September 1893.
Away from politics, Stanley had been a passionate sportsman. He had built Stanley House Stables in England and, during his years in Canada, had given the nation a trophy that would become known as the Stanley Cup, awarded to the champion ice hockey team. That gift secured his place in sporting history, and he was later honoured as one of the first inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame. In Parliament, his career had been long and varied. He had represented Preston from 1865 to 1868, North Lancashire from 1868 to 1885, and then became the first Member of Parliament for the new constituency of Blackpool in 1885, holding that seat until 1886. Over those years, he had served as Civil Lord of the Admiralty in 1868, as Financial Secretary to the War Office from 1874 to 1878, as Secretary to the Treasury in 1878, as War Secretary from 1878 to 1880, and again as Colonial Secretary from 1885 to 1886. His peerage was granted in 1886 when he became Baron Stanley of Preston in the County Palatine of Lancaster. He then led the Board of Trade from 3 August 1886 to 21 February 1888 before taking up his post in Canada.
Frederick Stanley’s life came to an end on 14 June 1908, at the age of 67. His eldest son, Edward, inherited the title and went on to carve his own name in British politics. Constance Stanley, the Countess of Derby, lived on until 17 April 1922.
This portrait of Frederick Arthur Stanley was taken in May 1889 when he was Lord Stanley of Preston. Photographed by William James Topley in Canada (1845–1930).
In 1901, after Edward Whymper first climbed Stanley Peak, he named it in honour of Lord Derby. Across the world, his name marked landmarks — Vancouver’s Stanley Park, the Stanley Theatre, and Stanley Park in Blackpool.
His legacy reached military and community life. The Preston Squadron of cadets at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean bore his name. In 1888, Stanley House Inn rose along the Cascapedia River, built as his summer home. Stanley’s time as Governor General of Canada was meant to end in September 1893. But that April, the death of his elder brother made him the 16th Earl of Derby. Now Lord Derby, he left Canada on 15 July 1893, returning to England. An administrator completed his duties until Lord Aberdeen took the post in September. That same year, Toronto’s New Fort York became the Stanley Barracks.
Back in England, his public service continued. He became Lord Mayor of Liverpool and the first Chancellor of the University of Liverpool. The city’s Stanley Park carried his name. In November 1901, he was elected Mayor of Preston for the following year, and in 1902, he joined the Preston Guild. The borough granted him honorary freedom, honouring a family connection that stretched back centuries.
In his later years, he gave more of himself to philanthropy. In 1901, he led the committee to build Liverpool Cathedral, and in 1905, he helped fund Coronation Park in Ormskirk.
But it was a gift to sport that secured his name for generations. In 1892, he commissioned the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup — today’s Stanley Cup. At first, it was awarded to Canada’s top amateur ice hockey club, with the Montreal Hockey Club the first winners in 1893. By 1906, professional teams were competing, and in 1915, the top leagues in Canada agreed to play for it each year. From 1926, it became the ultimate prize of the National Hockey League, and since 1947, its official championship trophy. The entire Stanley family had embraced the game — sons and daughters alike played and promoted it.
Over a century later, the silver cup still shines, lifted high each season by ice hockey’s champions — a lasting tribute to Lord Stanley of Preston.
The first Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup in 2015. Includes the names of the 2014–2015 champion Chicago Blackhawks. Photo by Alex Goykhman – CC BY-SA 4.0
Frederick Arthur Stanley (1841-1908) sixteenth Earl of Derby. English Conservative statesman, racehorse owner. Governor-General of Canada 1888-1893. Image taken by Men of Mark, London in 1877.
