Sir Alexander Macdonald, 7th Baronet

Sir Alexander Macdonald, 7th Baronet, 14th Chief of Sleat (1711 – 23 November 1746) was a Scottish Chief of Clan Macdonald of Sleat.

Early life Macdonald was born in 1711. He was the son of Sir James Macdonald, 6th Baronet and the former Janet Macleod. From his mother's first marriage to John Macleod, 2nd of Talisker (a grandson of Sir Roderick MacLeod, 15th Chief of Clan MacLeod), he had an elder half-brother, Donald MacLeod, 3rd of Talisker. From his parents' marriage, his siblings included Margaret Macdonald (wife of Sir Robert Douglas, 6th Baronet) and Janet Macdonald (wife of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, 5th Baronet).

Personal life

On 3 April 1733, Macdonald married Anne, Lady Ogilvy, ( Erskine) (–1735), a daughter of David Erskine, Lord Dun. Anne was the widow of James Ogilvy, Lord Ogilvy, the eldest son and heir apparent of David Ogilvy, 3rd Earl of Airlie and Lady Grizel Lyon (a daughter the 3rd Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne) Before her death on 27 November 1735, they were the parents of:

After her death, he married Lady Margaret Montgomerie (d. 1799) on 24 April 1739 at St. Paul's Church, Edinburgh. Lady Margaret was a daughter of Alexander Montgomerie, 9th Earl of Eglinton, and Susanna Kennedy (a daughter of Sir Archibald Kennedy, 1st Baronet). Together, they were the parents of: an accomplished scholar and mathematician who died unmarried in Rome, Italy.

Sir Alexander died unexpectedly on 23 November 1746 at Berneray. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest surviving son, the ten year-old James. His widow lived for more than fifty years until her death on 30 March 1799. After James' death without issue in 1766, the baronetcy passed to his next son, Alexander, who was created Baron Macdonald in the Peerage of Ireland in 1776. His youngest son, who was born after his death, was created a baronet in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom upon his retirement as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in 1813. Godfrey Macdonald, 3rd Baron Macdonald (who married Louisa Maria La Coast, the illegitimate daughter of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh); and the Hon. Archibald Macdonald (who married Jane Campbell, daughter of Duncan Campbell of Arneave).

Through his youngest son Archibald, he was posthumously a grandfather of Louisa Macdonald; Sir James Macdonald, 2nd Baronet (who married Lady Sophia Keppel, a daughter of William Keppel, 4th Earl of Albemarle); and Caroline Diana Macdonald (who married Rev. Thomas Randolph, son of Rt. Rev. Dr. John Randolph).