William Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester

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William Angus Drogo Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester (3 March 1877 – 9 February 1947) was a British noble and Liberal politician. He was born at Kimbolton Castle, the only legitimate son of the 8th Duke of Manchester and Consuelo Yznaga, a Cuban-American heiress. He went to Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, and became duke in 1892 at age 15. He joined the Liberal benches in the House of Lords in 1902 and served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard from 1905 to 1907 under Prime Minister Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman.

Manchester was also an officer in the militia, starting as a captain in the 5th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps in 1899, and later serving with the Lancashire Fusiliers. In 1910 he inherited the lease of his mother’s townhouse at 5 Grosvenor Square, Mayfair. In 1911 he bought a steam yacht, Conqueror. In 1914 he and his then wife were guests aboard Vanderbilt’s Warrior when it ran aground off the Caribbean coast of Colombia; they were rescued the next day.

Known for spending lavishly, his lifestyle contributed to the family’s shrinking fortune, which was eventually exhausted and led to the sale of lands during the tenure of the 10th Duke. He spent much of his life abroad, often seeking money from wealthy acquaintances. He is associated with the Hamilton v. Drogo case, a spendthrift trust.

In 1935 the Duke was sentenced to nine months in Wormwood Scrubs for false pretences, having made false statements to a pawnbroker to obtain cash. On 14 November 1900, he secretly married Helena Zimmerman of Cincinnati, Ohio. They had four children: Lady Mary Gregory Alexander Montagu, 10th Duke of Manchester; Lord Edward Montagu; and Lady Ellen Shairp. The marriage ended in divorce in December 1931.

Manchester then married stage actress Kathleen Dawes on 17 December 1931; they had no children. He died at Seaford, East Sussex, on 9 February 1947, aged 69, and was succeeded by his son Alexander as the 10th Duke of Manchester. The Dowager Duchess, Helena Zimmerman, died on 28 March 1966.