Alexander Grant (c. 1673–1719) of Castle Grant, Elgin, was a Scottish politician who sat in the

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...

from 1702 to 1707 and as a Whig in the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

from 1707 to 1719.

Early life

Grant was born after 1673, the second, but eldest surviving son of Ludovick Grant, Commissioner in the

of Castle Grant (formerly Freuchie) and his first wife Janet Brodie, daughter of Alexander Brodie, Commissioner in the Scottish Parliament, of Lethen, Auldearn, Nairnshire. He married, with £5,000, Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of James Stuart, Lord. Doune on 3 December 1698.

Career

Grant became a Burgess of Elgin in 1689 and of Edinburgh in 1695. In 1700 he was bailie in the regality of Grant. He was Commissary justiciary for the Highlands in 1701 and 1702. In 1702 he was returned as

Shire Commissioner A commissioner was a legislator appointed or elected to represent a royal burgh or shire in the pre-Union Scottish Parliament and the associated Convention of the Estates. Member of Parliament (MP) and Deputy are equivalent terms in other ...

for

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in populatio ...

. He was

Sheriff of Inverness The Sheriff of Inverness was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order and bringing criminals to justice in Inverness, Scotland. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date, following the J ...

from 1703 to 1717. In 1706 he was a Commissioner of the Scottish Exchequer and one of the Commissioners for the Union with England. He was Colonel of foot from 1706. He was appointed a Scottish Privy Councillor in 1707. Grant was one of the

Scottish representatives to the first Parliament of Great Britain The Scottish representatives to the first Parliament of Great Britain, serving from 1 May 1707 to 26 May 1708, were not elected like their colleagues from England and Wales, but rather hand-picked. The forty five men sent to London in 1707, to t ...

in 1707. At the 1708 British general election, he was returned as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

on the family interest. He was absent at the start of the Parliament as his regiment was ordered to join the continental army of the Duke of Marlborough. His wife died in 1708 and he married as his second wife with £8,000, Anne Smith, daughter of John Smith and maid of honour to Queen Anne, on 31 May 1709. This improved his financial situation and introduced him to a new set of political colleagues. In September 1709 he returned to the Continent to command his men at the Siege of Mons. He was back in London by January 1710, and was listed as voting for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell. By June, he had rejoined his men at the Siege of Tournai. At the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

, he was returned as Whig MP for

Elginshire Moray; ( gd, Moireibh ) or Morayshire, called Elginshire until 1919, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east. It ...

. He was promoted to brigadier-general in 1711. At the 1713 British general election he was returned unopposed again for Elginshire. His regiment was disbanded in 1713 and he went onto half-pay. Grant was returned again as MP for Elginshire at the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the 1707 merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In October 1714, soon afte ...

, and followed the Duke of Argyll in Parliament. He was colonel of a new regiment of foot in 1715 and appointed governor and store-keeper for Sheerness, and acting lieutenant-governor for Edinburgh Castle. He also became Lord Lieutenant of Banff, Elgin and Inverness in 1715 and was active in raising his clan in support of the Government, promising them ample compensation for any losses, which in fact did not materialize. He succeeded his father in estates and as chief of Grant in 1716. He voted with the Government on the septennial bill, but when he voted against the censuring of William Cadogan in 1717, he was dismissed from his military governorship and his regiment was disbanded. He was subsequently said to be in iron cuffs in Bedlam hospital.

Death and legacy

Grant died on 19 August 1719. He had no children by either of his wives.

References

Attribution Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Alexander 1670s births 1719 deaths Shire Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1702–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies