William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire


William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire, was a British nobleman and politician. He was the eldest son of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, and Lady Mary Butler. A prominent Whig, he was sworn of the Privy Council in 1707, and served as Lord President of the Council from 1716 to 1718 and from 1725 to 1729.

Biography

Cavendish was born as the eldest surviving son of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire. After marrying the daughter of Whig martyr Lord Russell, Rachel Russell, Cavendish was sent out to the country, probably commanding his father's troop of cavalry, and was a volunteer in Flanders in 1692. His first attempt at entering politics was by competing in a by-election in 1691 for the House of Commons, which did not succeed. However, in 1695, he did manage to enter the House of Commons representing the county of Derbyshire.

Horse racing

Cavendish was significant in horse racing. He was the owner of Flying Childers, who is often considered the first true great racehorse in the history of thoroughbreds. Childers was also the son of Darley Arabian, which was one of the first three horses that led to the creation of the English thoroughbred. Cavendish intended to use Childers as a hunter for practical field use after buying him from Colonel Leonard Childers as a yearling, before eventually becoming putting him in racing and him becoming the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland. However, Childers was not a great breeder, and instead, his brother Bartlett's Childers, who was unsuitable for racing, was bred, leading to Bartlett being the male ancestor of Eclipse.

Personal life

He married the Hon. Rachel Russell, daughter of William Russell, Lord Russell, on 21 June 1688. She served as a Lady of the Bedchamber at the court of Queen Anne.
They had ten children:
  1. Lady Mary Cavendish
  2. William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire
  3. Lady Rachel Cavendish married Sir William Morgan on 14 May 1723
  4. Lady Elizabeth Cavendish married Sir Thomas Lowther, 2nd Baronet
  5. Lord James Cavendish
  6. Lord Charles Cavendish married Anne Grey on 9 January 1727, father of Henry Cavendish
  7. Lady Anne Cavendish
  8. Lady Katherine Cavendish
  9. Lord John Cavendish
  10. Lady Diana Cavendish