Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby (4 April 1865 - 4 February 1948) was an English politician around the turn of the 20th century. He was the son of the 16th Earl of Derby. He joined the Grenadier Guards as a lieutenant, and served in that regiment between 1885 and 1895. He also served as Secretary of State for War (two separate times) and Ambassador to France. He married Lady Alice Maude Olivia Montagu , daughter of the 7th Duke of Manchester ; they had three children together. Two of them, Edward and Oliver achieved the rare distinction of sitting in the same Cabinet between May and October 1938 until Edward's death.

|- style="text-align: center;" | width="30%" |Preceded by:
David Lloyd George | width="40%" style="text-align: center;" |Secretary of State for War
1916–1918 | width="30%" |Succeeded by:
The Viscount Milner

|- style="text-align: center;" | width="30%" |Preceded by:
Laming Worthington-Evans | width="40%" style="text-align: center;" |Secretary of State for War
1921–1922 | width="30%" |Succeeded by:
Stephen Walsh

Preceded by: Frederick Arthur Stanley

Earl of Derby

Succeeded by: Edward John Stanley