James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose
James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose (born 6 April 1935), known as Earl of Kincardine until 1954 and Marquess of Graham between 1954 and 1992, is a Southern Rhodesia-born hereditary peer of the Peerage of Scotland and a British Conservative Party politician.
The Duke of Montrose | |
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![]() The Duke of Montrose in 2018 | |
Member of the House of Lords | |
as a hereditary peer 26 May 1995 – 11 November 1999 | |
Preceded by | The 7th Duke of Montrose |
Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
as an elected hereditary peer 11 November 1999 | |
Election | 1999 |
Preceded by | Seat established |
Personal details | |
Born | James Graham 6 April 1935 Southern Rhodesia |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse | |
Children | Lady Hermione Thornhill James, Marquess of Graham Lord Ronald Graham |
Parent(s) | The 7th Duke of Montrose Isabel Veronia Sellar |
Biography
Parents
The Duke was born in Southern Rhodesia, where his father, then Marquess of Graham, was establishing a farm.
Marriage
On 31 January 1970, as Marquess of Graham, he married Catherine Elizabeth MacDonell Young (d. 29 October 2014[1]), of Canada.
They have three children:
- Lady Hermione Elizabeth Graham (born 20 July 1971), married 1998 Christopher John Thornhill
- John Graham Thornhill (born 1998)
- Grace Graham Thornhill (born 1998)
- James Alexander Norman Graham, Marquess of Graham (born 16 August 1973), married 2004 Cecilia Manfredi, without issue
- Lord Ronald John Christopher Graham (born 13 October 1975), married 24 September 2016 to Florence Mary Arbuthnott, in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. He is a practising lawyer with a firm in England and has two sons.[2]
Education
The Duke attended boarding school in Scotland, first in Aberdeenshire and after that at the Loretto School near Edinburgh.[3]
Politics and international relations
The Duke considers himself a Conservative and took his seat in the House of Lords on his father's death in 1992. He is one of four dukes to have re-entered the House (of the 24 non-royal dukes eligible) following the House of Lords Act 1999, having been one of the 90 peers chosen or elected by the others sitting. The other dukes in the upper house among these are the Duke of Somerset, who won a by-election in December 2014, the Duke of Wellington, who won a by-election in September 2015, and the Duke of Norfolk who, as hereditary Earl Marshal and one of the Great Officers of State, does not have to stand for election.
The Duke of Montrose was a shadow minister for the Scotland Office before the 2010 general election. He has also spent some time in China promoting renewable energy and environmental measures, and he is a fluent speaker of Mandarin.
References
- "The Telegraph Death Announcements".
- Clan Graham Society: History and Heritage.
- ""An Greumach Mhor" ~ Chief of the Clan Graham: James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose". Clan Graham Society. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
External links
- James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose, Chief of the Grahams
- James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose, thePeerage.com
- Conservative Party website Archived 3 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine
