James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose
James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose (1935-2020), 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.
His Grace The Duke of Montrose | |
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![]() The Duke of Montrose in 2018 | |
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
Assumed office 26 May 1995 Hereditary Peerage | |
Preceded by | The 7th Duke of Montrose |
Personal details | |
Born | James Graham 6 April 1935 Southern Rhodesia |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | Lady Hermione Thornhill James Graham, Marquess of Graham Lord Ronald Graham |
Parents | James Graham, 7th Duke of Montrose Isabel Veronia Sellar |
Biography
Parents
The Duke was born in Southern Rhodesia, where his father, then the Marquess of Graham, was attempting to establish 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, without issue
By Queen decision and by his explicit will the inheritance was passed on to another English nobleman.
Education
The Duke attended boarding school in Scotland, first in Aberdeenshire and after that at the Loretto School near Edinburgh.[2]
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.
Titles and styles
- 6 April 1935 – 20 January 1954: Earl of Kincardine
- 20 January 1954 – 10 February 1992: Marquess of Graham
- 10 February 1992 – present: His Grace The Duke of Montrose
References
- James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose, Chief of the Grahams
- James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose, thePeerage.com
- Conservative Party website
- "The Telegraph Death Announcements".
- ""An Greumach Mhor" ~ Chief of the Clan Graham: James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose". Clan Graham Society. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose. |
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Montrose
Peerage of Scotland | ||
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Preceded by James Angus Graham |
Duke of Montrose 1992–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
Preceded by The Duke of Atholl |
Gentlemen The Duke of Montrose |
Succeeded by The Duke of Roxburghe |