James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose

James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose, (born 6 April 1935), styled Earl of Kincardine until 1954 and Marquess of Graham between 1954 and 1992, is a Scottish hereditary peer, hill farmer and former Conservative politician in the House of Lords.

Biography

Early life

James Graham was born on 6 April 1935 in Southern Rhodesia, where his father—the then Marquess of Graham—was establishing a farm. He attended boarding school in Scotland, first in Aberdeenshire and then at Loretto School, near Edinburgh.

He was appointed Officer, Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (OStJ) in 1978. He served as Brigadier of the Royal Company of Archers in 1986.

Marriage

On 31 January 1970, the Marquess of Graham married Catherine Elizabeth MacDonell Young (d. 29 October 2014 ), daughter of Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders officer Capt. Norman Andrew Thompson Young, of Ottawa, Canada.

They have three children: Lady Hermione Elizabeth Graham (born 20 July 1971), married Christopher John Thornhill, and has issue. James Alexander Norman Graham, Marquess of Graham (born 16 August 1973), married Cecilia Manfredi, without issue. Lord Ronald John Christopher Graham (born 13 October 1975), married Florence Mary Arbuthnott, and has two sons.

Politics and international relations

Montrose took his seat in the House of Lords as a Conservative in 1995. He is one of four dukes to have re-entered the House (of the 24 non-royal dukes previously 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 were 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.

Montrose was a shadow minister for the Scotland Office for a period before the 2010 general election. He has spent time in China promoting renewable energy and environmental measures, and is a fluent speaker of Mandarin.