William Leveson-Gower, 4th Earl Granville should not be confused with Sir William Leveson-Gower, 4th Baronet.
| Honorific-Prefix: | Vice-Admiral The Right Honourable |
| The Earl Granville | |
| Office2: | Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man |
| Term Start2: | 1937 |
| Term End2: | 1945 |
| Predecessor2: | Sir Montagu Butler |
| Successor2: | Sir Geoffrey Bromet |
| Order1: | 2nd Governor of Northern Ireland |
| Term Start1: | 7 September 1945 |
| Term End1: | 1 December 1952 |
| Predecessor1: | The Duke of Abercorn |
| Successor1: | The Lord Wakehurst |
| Birth Date: | 11 July 1880 |
| Death Date: | 25 June 1953 (aged 72) |
| Birthname: | William Spencer Leveson-Gower |
| Nationality: | British |
| Parents: | Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville Castila Rosalind Campbell |
| Children: | 2 |
| Allegiance: |  United Kingdom |
| Serviceyears: | 1894–1935 |
| Rank: | Vice Admiral |
| Commands: | Coast of Scotland |
| Battles: | World War I |
William Spencer Leveson-Gower, 4th Earl Granville, (11 July 1880 – 25 June 1953), styled The Honourable William Leveson-Gower until 1939, was a British naval commander and governor from the Leveson-Gower family.
Leveson-Gower was the younger son of Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, by his second wife Castilia Rosalind Campbell (daughter of Walter Frederick Campbell).[1]
After Wixenford School, William Leveson-Gower joined the Royal Navy in 1894.[2] He was promoted to Sub Lieutenant in 1900, and lieutenant on 26 June 1902, when he was re-appointed to the torpedo cruiser HMS Scout.[3] In August 1902 he was posted to HMS Hood, serving with the Mediterranean Fleet.[4]
Promotion to commander followed in 1913.[2] Leveson-Gower served in the First World War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1919.[2]
Leveson-Gower was appointed Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in 1924, aide-de-camp to the King in 1929 and Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Scotland in 1931.[2] He was made a Companion of the Bath in 1930 and retired in 1935.[2]
Leveson-Gower became Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man in 1937.[5] He set up the War Consultative Committee in November 1939 to act as a 'war cabinet' during World War II.[6] The committee consisted of members of the House of Keys and the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man.[7]
In 1939 Leveson-Gower succeeded his elder brother in the earldom. Granville was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 1945 and became Governor of Northern Ireland in 1945, serving until 1952. He was made a Knight Companion of the Garter that same year.
In 1916, Lord Granville married Lady Rose Bowes-Lyon, the second surviving daughter of the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and elder sister of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. They had two children, five grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren:
Lord Granville died in June 1953, aged 72. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. The Countess Granville died in 1967.[5]