Biography.guide
Home › People › Politician › Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll
Portrait of Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll

Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll

1903 – 1973

Scottish peer

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll

Lived 1903 – 1973 (aged 69). Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll was a British politician and aristocrat.

Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th and 4th Duke of Argyll (18 June 1903 He was the son of Douglas Walter Campbell and his wife, Aimée Marie Suzanne Lawrence. His paternal grandfather, Lord Walter Campbell, was the third son of the 8th Duke of Argyll. Through his father, he was the great nephew of Queen Victoria's daughter Louise, who married John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, the fourth Governor General of Canada. He was educated at Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts, United States and Christ Church, Oxford.

He served during the Second World War with the rank of captain in the 8th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and saw combat during the Fall of France. Along with his GOC Maj. Gen. Victor Fortune, the war poet Aonghas Caimbeul and all surviving members of the 51st (Highland) Division, Captain Campbell surrendered to Wehrmacht General Erwin Rommel at Saint-Valery-en-Caux in Normandy on 12 June 1940. He was held as a prisoner of war until 1945.

He inherited the titles Duke of Argyll and Chief of Clan Campbell following the death of his first cousin once removed, the 10th Duke, on 20 August 1949. His five years of mental and physical abuse in Nazi captivity during World War II likely resulted in what is now known as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), thereby adversely affecting his personality, marriages, family and personal relationships for the remainder of his life.

His first marriage was to Janet Gladys Aitken, daughter of business tycoon and press baron Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, on 12 December 1927. They had a daughter:

Lady Jeanne Campbell (1928–2007).

Ian and Janet divorced in 1934. Argyll's second marriage was to Louise Hollingsworth Morris Vanneck, née Clews, daughter of Henry Clews Jr. by his wife Louise Hollingsworth Morris (ex-wife 1894–1901 of Frederick Gebhard) of Baltimore, Maryland and former wife of Hon. Andrew Vanneck on 23 November 1935. This marriage produced two sons:

Ian Campbell, 12th Duke of Argyll (1937–2001), who married Iona Colquhoun on 4 July 1964. They had two children. Colin Ivar Campbell (b. 1946), who married Georgia Arianna Ziadie on 23 March 1974; they were divorced in 1975.

This marriage also ended in divorce, in 1951.

Argyll's third marriage was to Margaret Whigham, mother of Frances, Dowager Duchess of Rutland, from her previous marriage to Charles Francis Sweeny. They were married on 22 March 1951. Margaret was a glittering society figure. While married to the duke, she had affairs with other men including actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and allegedly Duncan Sandys, the minister of defence. The marriage was childless and they divorced in 1963 after the duke found Polaroid photographs of her sexual activities with other men. In the divorce proceedings, the duke produced the photographs, which featured the duchess wearing only her signature triple-string of pearls while fellating an unidentified man. In hearings which gained much media attention, the divorce was granted, though on grounds of adultery with a different man.

Argyll's fourth and final marriage was to Mathilda Coster Mortimer on 15 June 1963. Mathilda, who was first married to Clemens Heller, founder of the Salzburg Global Seminar, a school in Salzburg, Austria, From this marriage he had a daughter:

Lady Elspeth Campbell (1967–1967), who lived only five days.

They remained married until the duke's death on 7 April 1973. They lived in a Paris apartment for years, visiting Scotland only briefly. He had spent much of his youth in France and he was bilingual. 6= 6. John Lawrence 1837-1896 7= 7. Emily Marie LaFarge 1847-1932 8= 8. George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll 9= 9. Lady Elizabeth Leveson-Gower 1824-1878 10= 10. John Clarkson Milns 1813-1875

The San Juan de Sicilia galleon

The galleon San Juan de Sicilia was destroyed in 1588 and has remained at Tobermory Bay's sea ever since. The 11th Duke of Argyll tried to bring the supposed treasures back from the ship in March 1954, just as his predecessors had, but without success.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Positions held
Member of the House of Lords
Also known as
Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th and 4th Duke of Argyll, Ian Campbell, Ian Argyll

Family & relationships

Spouse
Janet Gladys Aitken
Spouse
Louise Timpson
Spouse
Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll
Spouse
Mathilda Campbell, Duchess of Argyll

People in Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll?

Scottish peer (1903-1973)

When was Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll born?

Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll was born on 18 June 1903 in 8th arrondissement of Paris.

When did Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll die?

Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll died on 7 April 1973 in Edinburgh.

What was Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll's occupation?

Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll was a politician and aristocrat.

What nationality was Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll?

Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll

· Wikidata: Q5981108

· DBpedia: Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. https://biography.guide/ian-campbell-11th-duke-of-argyll/

MLA: "Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ian-campbell-11th-duke-of-argyll/.

Chicago: "Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ian-campbell-11th-duke-of-argyll/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:05 UTC