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.