Lord George Graham

Captain Lord George Graham (26 September 1715 – 2 January 1747) was a Scottish officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the War of the Austrian Succession. He embarked on a political career, and was a Member of Parliament.

Graham was born into the nobility, the younger son of a duke, and embarked on a naval career early in his life. Rising through the ranks, he was given his first commands early in the War of the Austrian Succession, and served in the Mediterranean and in escorting convoys. He entered parliament through the influence of his father, and represented the Scottish constituency of Stirlingshire from 1741 until his death. He was a Whig and a political supporter of the Duke of Argyll.

Turning down the command of a ship of the line in favour of a frigate, Graham won renown for a victory over several powerful privateers and their prizes. Rewarded with a larger ship, he also commissioned a painting from William Hogarth to commemorate the event, Captain Lord George Graham in his Cabin. He continued in the navy, intercepting privateers and enemy ships, but was struck down with a severe illness, and despite moving ashore, died in 1747.

Family and early life Lord George Graham was born on 26 September 1715, the son of James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose, and his wife Christian, the daughter of David Carnegie, 3rd Earl of Northesk. He entered the navy at an early age and served at first as a midshipman from 1730, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1734. He held the command until 15 March 1740, when he was promoted to captain. He was appointed to command the 40-gun HMS Lark in 1741 with orders to escort a convoy of merchants bound for Turkey. While cruising in the Channel off Ostend on 2 July, in company with the 24-gun under Captain William Gordon, and the armed vessel Ursula under Lieutenant Fergusson, he came across three large privateers from Dunkirk, sailing in company with their prizes.

For his success in the engagement, Graham was commended to the First Lord of the Admiralty, John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, and was given command of a larger ship, the 60-gun . Hogarth painted Graham smoking his pipe in his cabin before dinner, while listening to pipe and tabor music played by his black servant, while his chaplain and clerk sing. Two dogs are visible, one is Graham's own, which joins in the singing. The other is Trump, Hogarth's dog, which is shown wearing Graham's wig, holding a scroll, and reading from a sheet of music propped against a wine glass. The painting has several political and social allusions in Hogarth's satirical style. Cabin scenes in oil are rare, and Hogarth's is considered by the current owner, the National Maritime Museum, to be the most famous in British art. He was deployed off the north of Scotland in April 1746 to intercept any French vessels that might attempt to rescue survivors of the failed Jacobite rising, and so missed the political debates in parliament that month, though he was classed as a "new ally".