Frederick Archibald Vaughan Campbell, 3rd Earl Cawdor, (13 February 1847 – 8 February 1911), styled Viscount Emlyn from 1860 to 1898, was a British
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
politician. He served briefly as
First Lord of the Admiralty
First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...
between March and December 1905.
Background and education

Cawdor was the eldest son of
John Campbell, 2nd Earl Cawdor and Sarah Cavendish, daughter of General Hon.
Henry Cavendish
Henry Cavendish ( ; 10 October 1731 – 24 February 1810) was an English experimental and theoretical chemist and physicist. He is noted for his discovery of hydrogen, which he termed "inflammable air". He described the density of inflammable a ...
, son of
1st Earl of Burlington and heiress Lady Elizabeth Compton. He was educated at
Eton and
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
. He was brought up on the family estates in south Wales and his coming of age in 1868 was a major event in the town of
Llandeilo
Llandeilo () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated where the River Towy is crossed by the A483 road, A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had ...
. In 1874 he was appointed to be Deputy Lieutenant for the county of
Inverness
Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
.
By 1880s, his father's estate brought an annual income of £45,000 a year.
MP for Carmarthenshire
Cawdor was
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Member of Parliament for
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...
from 1874 to 1885. In 1885 the constituency was divided in two and Emlyn decided to contest the new West Carmarthenshire constituency, although most of his family property lay in the eastern part of the county. His chances there appeared to be negligible given the growing industrial population which had been a key factor in the triumph of the Liberal candidate,
Edward Sartoris at the 1868 General Election. Emlyn was opposed by the other sitting member, the Liberal
W.R.H. Powell, himself a former Conservative supporter, who had first declared his support for the Liberals at the 1874 election. Powell now proclaimed that he had a duty to the Liberal cause to oppose Emlyn.
It was reported that the Conservatives were confident of their chances in West Carmarthenshire, on the grounds that it was largely an agricultural division.
However, the electorate had more than doubled in the county, and the 1885 electorate in the Western Division alone exceeded that of the combined county seat in 1880.
Powell's victory ended Emlyn's career in Carmarthenshire politics.
Later political career
He succeeded in the earldom in 1898 and served briefly under
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (; 25 July 184819 March 1930) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As Foreign Secretary ...
as First Lord of the Admiralty. Lord Cawdor took a leading part in the Conservative opposition to
Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...
's budget of 1909 and in drafting resolutions for the reform of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
in 1910. He also notably opposed the
Housing and Town Planning Act 1909.
He was also involved in
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...
local affairs, and as Chairman of the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
from 1895 to 1905 greatly improved the service. In 1903 he was described by
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal Party (UK), Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually was a leading New Imperialism, imperial ...
as “the best chairman now living".
In
1904
Events
January
* January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''.
* January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system.
* ...
he was elected unopposed as a member of Pembrokeshire County Council to represent the Castlemartin ward.
Lord Cawdor was an officer in the
Royal Carmarthen Artillery, a
Militia
A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
unit, where he was
lieutenant-colonel in command from 24 September 1892 until he retired on 5 November 1902. During these years he was promoted to
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
and appointed an
aide-de-camp to King
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910.
The second child ...
.
Family
Lord Cawdor married Edith Georgiana Turnor, daughter of
Christopher Turnor and Lady Caroline Finch-Hatton, daughter of
10th Earl of Winchilsea, on 16 September 1868 at
Stoke Rochford Hall. They predominantly live in London at 74 South Audley Street.
They had ten children:
# Lady Edith Campbell m. Charles Ferguson
#
Hugh Campbell, 4th Earl Cawdor born at Cawdor Castle m. Joan Thynne, granddaughter of
Lord John Thynne
# Nigel Campbell m. Violet Kerr, great granddaughter of
William Kerr, 6th Marquess of Lothian
# Lady Mabel Campbell m.
Sir Henry Beresford-Peirse, 4th Baronet
# Ralph Campbell m. Marjorie Theophila Fowler
# Lady Lilian Campbell m. Richard Beresford-Peirse, son of
3th Baronet
# Elidor Campbell m. Violet Bulwer-Marsh
# Ian Campbell m. Marion Stirling
# Eric Campbell
# Lady Muriel Campbell
They settled in
Golden Grove, before moving to their larger seat
Stackpole Court. The 1891 census recorded the family at Stackpole with 23 servants, by the 1901 it had increased to 25 servants.

He died in February 1911, aged 63, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son Hugh. Lady Cawdor died in 1926.
Ancestry
References
Sources
*
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cawdor, Frederick Campbell, 3rd Earl
1847 births
1911 deaths
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Emlyn, Frederick Campbell, Viscount
Deputy lieutenants of Inverness-shire
Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Lord-lieutenants of Pembrokeshire
First Lords of the Admiralty
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Members of Carmarthenshire County Council
Emlyn, Frederick Campbell, Viscount
Emlyn, Frederick Campbell, Viscount
Cawdor, E3
Directors of the Great Western Railway
3
Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club
Carmarthen Militia officers
People educated at Eton College