Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 4th Duke of Sutherland

Sutherland was the eldest son of George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland. He was born in London and educated at Eton College.[2] Despite being very wealthy, Sutherland became concerned that his landed estates were no longer viable. Towards the end of his life he disposed of properties in the UK (such as Trentham Hall and Stafford House) and began moving his wealth to Canada.[3] His political allegiance shifted from the Liberal Party to the Conservatives'.

As Marquess of Stafford, Sutherland entered the 2nd Life Guards as a cornet. He retired from regular army service as a lieutenant in 1875,[2] but was commissioned Captain in the Staffordshire Yeomanry in 1876 and commanded that regiment as Lieutenant-Colonel from 1891 to 1898, after which he became its honorary colonel.[4] He was also Lieutenant-Colonel of the Sutherland Rifles, a volunteer regiment of his ducal county in Scotland, from 1882 to 1891.[2] From 1911 until his death he was honorary colonel of the 5th Territorial Force battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders.[5]

He was President of the Staffordshire Territorial Forces Association from the formation of the Territorial Force in 1908.[5]

Sutherland served as MP for Sutherland. On succeeding to his father's peerage in 1892, he became a member of the House of Lords, sitting on the Conservative benches. He also served as Mayor of Longton, near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, in 1895–96, and was an alderman of the borough from 1898.[5]

The Duke was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG) in the 1902 Coronation Honours list published on 26 June 1902,[6] and was invested by King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace on 8 August 1902.[7]

The Duke was for some time Master of Foxhounds of the North Staffordshire Hunt.[8]

He married Lady Millicent St Clair-Erskine, daughter of Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn, on 20 October 1884. They had four children:

• Lady Victoria Elizabeth Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1885–1888), died young.
• George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland (1888–1963)
• Lord Alastair St. Clair Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1890–1921), married Elizabeth Demarest (ex-wife of John G. A. Leishman Jr) and had Elizabeth Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 24th Countess of Sutherland.
• Lady Rosemary Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1893–1930), dated Edward, Prince of Wales[9] before marrying William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley and had issue. Died in a plane crash with Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 3rd Marquess of Dufferin and Ava.

In 1900 the Duke of Sutherland owned about 1,358,000 acres (550,000 hectares) and the steam yacht Catania, which was chartered by some of the super-rich of that era.

The Duke died at Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland, on 27 June 1913, aged 61, and was buried at Dunrobin.[8]

• Works by or about Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 4th Duke of Sutherland at Internet Archive
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Sutherland
• "SUTHERLAND, 4th Duke of (cr. 1833), Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower". Who's who biographies, 1901. p. 1084.