Background
He was the eldest son of Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, and his wife, Lady Mary Gascoyne-Cecil.
politician Marquess of Hartington
He was the eldest son of Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, and his wife, Lady Mary Gascoyne-Cecil.
He was educated at Eton.
He was the husband of Kathleen Kennedy, sister of the future United States. President John F. Kennedy. He was selected as the official candidate of the Wartime Coalition for a by-election held on 18 February 1944 in the Derbyshire West constituency local to Chatsworth. The Independent candidate Charles Frederick White, Junior. had resigned from the Labour Party to mount a challenge and, then to defeat Hartington in contravention of the Wartime Coalition"s ban on partisan campaigning.
Four months later, on 10 September 1944, Hartington was killed in action by a sniper in Belgium while serving during World World War II as a major in the Coldstream Guards.
His company was trying to capture the town of Heppen, which was being held by troops of the German Waffen-Steamship In the weeks before he died, Hartington"s battalion, the 5th, serving in the Guards Armoured Division, had engaged in heavy fighting in Northern France. In early September, they crossed the Somme and pushed east towards Brussels, where his unit was one of the first to liberate the city.
I have a permanent lump in my throat and long for you to be here as it is an experience which few can have and which I would love to share with you.".
Hartington was a member of the Conservative Party.