Son of General Charles Grey and nephew of 3rd Earl; succeeded his uncle in 1894. Married Alice, daughter of R. Stayner Holford M.P., of Westonbirt, Gloucs. One son, four daughters. The 4th earl was a colourful character, involved in a great variety of activities and interests. He started his career as an M.P., then managed his uncle's estates, was involved in the British South Africa Company, and was Administrator of Rhodesia in 1896 and Governor-General of Canada 1904-1911. He took a leading role in movements such as co-operation and co-partnership, temperance (public house trusts), electoral reform (proportional representation), church reform, university extension, garden cities, and, above all, imperialism (imperial federation, Dominion House). Never rich, he made continual attempts to improve his finances by investment in all sorts of concerns, usually ending disastrously.
From the guide to the Papers of Albert Henry George, 4th Earl Grey, ca. 1860-1917, (Repository Unknown)
