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Who was Earl
Grey?
Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl
(1851-1917): grew up at Windsor Castle and
was private secretary to Prince Alberta and Queen
Victoria.
In 1894, he succeeded his uncle as the
fourth Earl Grey. Liberal MP (1880-86); administrator of Rhodesia
(1896-97); director, British South Africa Company (1898-1904);
Governor-General of Canada (1904-11); trustee, Rhodes Trust
(1902-17).
He was a politician and
diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada from 1904 to 1911, at
the time when Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces. He was very
popular with Canadians and was one of the few governors general at that
time to complete a full term. In 1909, he donated the Grey Cup, the
trophy which is now awarded annually to the Canadian Football League
champion.
The Grey Cup originated in 1909 as a trophy from Earl
Grey, Governor-General of Canada, to the Rugby Football Championship of
Canada. Since 1954, only teams in the CFL have played for the Grey Cup.
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