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.

His Grace

The Duke of Montrose
The Duke of Montrose in 2018
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Assumed office
27 June 1995
Hereditary Peerage
Preceded byThe 7th Duke of Montrose
Personal details
Born
James Graham

(1935-04-06) 6 April 1935
Southern Rhodesia
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1970; died 2014)​
ChildrenLady Hermione Thornhill
James Graham, Marquess of Graham
Lord Ronald Graham
ParentsJames 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. He is a practicing lawyer with a firm in England and has two boys. https://clangrahamsociety.org/history-heritage/

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.

References
  1. "The Telegraph Death Announcements".
  2. ""An Greumach Mhor" ~ Chief of the Clan Graham: James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose". Clan Graham Society. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
Peerage of Scotland
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
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