James Angus Graham, 7th Duke of Montrose ID (2 May 1907 – 10 February 1992), styled Earl of Kincardine until 1925 and Marquess of Graham between 1925 and 1954, was a Scottish-born

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

n politician, farmer and aristocrat. He served as Minister of Agriculture in the Rhodesian government of Ian Smith, and in 1965 was a signatory to

Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) was a statement adopted by the Cabinet of Rhodesia on 11 November 1965, announcing that Southern Rhodesia or simply Rhodesia, a British territory in southern Africa that had governed it ...

Biography

Angus, Marquess of Graham aged twenty-one (later 7th Duke of Montrose)

Born in 1907, the son of James Graham, 6th Duke and Lady Mary Louise, only daughter of William Douglas Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton. His cousin was Colonel Sir Donald Cameron of Lochiel, a prominent Highland soldier and Chief of Clan Cameron. As

Marquess A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

of Graham, the Duke was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. The Marquess of Graham completed three years at Oxford and graduated Bachelor of Arts. Lord Graham (as he then was) first went to Southern Rhodesia in 1930, where he owned a cattle ranch, and took up a position with A.E. & I., the South African subsidiary of ICI. While he was on holiday in England in 1939, the Second World War with Germany was declared. He signed up with the Admiral Commanding Reserves and was appointed Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve. He joined HMS ''Kandahar'' as part of Lord Louis Mountbatten's flotilla in the North Sea and later served in the Mediterranean and at

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

in Aden Colony. On 20 January 1954 he inherited his father's titles and became the 7th Duke of Montrose, taking his seat in the House of Lords on 25 June 1957. He took hunting trips in Kenya, where he met his second wife, Susan Semple. The family lived on Derry Farm at Nyabira outside Salisbury, where the crops included maize and tobacco. A pedigree

Brahman cattle The Brahman is an American breed of zebuine-taurine hybrid beef cattle. It was bred in the United States from 1885 from cattle originating in India, imported at various times from the United Kingdom, from India and from Brazil. These were mainly ...

stud was established after importing bloodstock from Texas. Montrose was a hard-line supporter of racial separation in Rhodesia. He was a member of the

Dominion Party The Dominion Party was a political party in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, led by Winston Field. History The party was established in 1956 by a merger of several political groups and the remains of the Confederate Party, which had d ...

of Rhodesia. He was a founder of the

Rhodesian Front The Rhodesian Front was a right-wing conservative political party in Southern Rhodesia, subsequently known as Rhodesia. It was the last ruling party of Southern Rhodesia prior to that country's unilateral declaration of independence, and the rul ...

, which he helped fund. Although, in an article published in '' Illustrated Life Rhodesia'' in the mid-1970s, Montrose indicated that he saw his family remaining in

for future generations, he and his family moved to South Africa in 1979 and then to Scotland, where he spent his final days. He was a speaker of

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

and was fond of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. He was buried in the family cemetery near Loch Lomond.Graham, Angus ''And Master of None: The Life & Times of Angus Graham, 7th Duke of Montrose'' (Stuart Titles, 1996)

Family

7th Duke & Duchess of Montrose in Scotland 1981

Graham was first married to Isabel Veronia Sellar and had issue, both born in Southern Rhodesia: * Lady Fiona Mary Graham (1932–2017); married, in 1966, Peter Alexander O'Brien Hannon and has issue: ** Catherine Mary Hannon (born 1968) ** Veronica Maeve Hannon (born 1971) * James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose (born 1935 in Southern Rhodesia); married, in 1970, Catherine Elizabeth MacDonell Young and has issue: ** Lady Hermione Elizabeth Graham (born 1971) ** James Alexander Norman Graham,

Marquess of Graham Duke of Montrose (named for Montrose, Angus) is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. The title was created anew in 1707, for James Graham, 4th Marquess of Montrose, great-grandson of famed James Graham, 1st Marquess ...

(born 1973) ** Lord Ronald John Christopher Graham (born 1975) He married secondly Susan Mary Joclyn Semple of Kenya and had issue: * Lady Cairistiona Anne Graham, born 1955; went to Girls High School Salisbury, Rhodesia, married, in 1982, Philip Patrick Saggers of Australia and has issue: ** Susanna Mary Saggers (born 1984) ** Marina Lilias Saggers (born 1986) ** Georgina Frances Saggers (born 1989) * Lord Donald Alasdair Graham (born 1956); married, in 1981, Bridie Donalda Elspeth Cameron of the Black Isle and has issue: ** Caitriana Mary Alice Cameron (born 1984) ** Alasdair John Cameron (1986–1988) ** Violet Elizabeth Helen Cameron (born 1992) ** Jennie Alexandra Cameron (born 1993) ** Finlay Donald Cameron (born 1998) * Lord Calum Ian Graham; married in 1991 Catherine Beatrice Fraser-Mackenzie (died 2008). Lord Calum Graham married secondly Estelle Baynes née Parry de Winton on 3 August 2013. He had three children with his first wife: ** Iain Angus Graham (born 1995) ** Euan Douglas Graham (born 1996) ** Christabel Emily Graham (born 2001) * Lady Lilias Catriona Maighearad Graham, married Jonathan Dillon Bell of Wellington, New Zealand, and has issue: ** Charles Michael Dillon Bell (born 1993) ** Eleanor Caroline Bell (born 1994)

Ancestry

References

External links

*
"Battle of Crete" narrative by the Duke of Montrose
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Montrose, James Graham, 7th Duke of 1907 births 1992 deaths

207 Year 207 ( CCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus and Severus (or, less frequently, year 960 '' Ab urbe con ...

Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Royal Navy officers of World War II Rhodesian emigrants to South Africa Foreign ministers of Rhodesia Members of the Legislative Assembly of Southern Rhodesia White Rhodesian people People educated at Eton College British emigrants to Rhodesia Signatories of Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence Zimbabwean people of Scottish descent Rhodesian Front politicians Defence Ministers of Zimbabwe