George Victor Robert John Innes-Ker, 9th Duke of Roxburghe (7 September 1913 – 26 September 1974) was the son of

Henry John Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe Henry John Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe (25 July 1876 – 29 September 1932) was a Scottish peer and courtier. Early life Henry John Innes-Ker was born on 25 July 1876. He was the son of James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburgh ...

and

Mary Goelet Mary "May" Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe ( Goelet; October 6, 1878 – April 26, 1937) was an American-born heiress and socialite who married into Scottish nobility. Early life Mary Goelet was born in 1878. Her parents were Mary Wilson Goel ...

. He succeeded his father in 1932.

Early life

George Victor Robert John Innes-Ker was born on 7 September 1913 to

Henry Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe Henry John Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe (25 July 1876 – 29 September 1932) was a Scottish peer and courtier. Early life Henry John Innes-Ker was born on 25 July 1876. He was the son of James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburgh ...

(1876–1932) and

(1878–1937). He was born almost ten years after his parents were married, on 10 November 1903, He grew up at

Floors Castle Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxbur ...

which was located on 60,500 acres, which his mother decorated with her own collection of art including a series of 17th century Gobelins Manufactory tapestries.

Family

His paternal grandparents were

James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburghe James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburghe (5 September 1839 – 23 October 1892), became Duke of Roxburghe on the death of his father, James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 6th Duke of Roxburghe. Early life He was born on 5 September 1839 to J ...

(1839–1892) and Lady Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill (1854–1923), the fourth daughter of

John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, (2 June 18224 July 1883), styled Earl of Sunderland from 1822 to 1840 and Marquess of Blandford from 1840 to 1857, was a British Conservative cabinet minister, politician, peer, and noble ...

, who served in

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

governments as

Lord President of the Council The Lord President of the Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State, ranking below the Lord High Treasurer but above the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. The Lor ...

and

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...

, and his wife, Lady Frances Vane, daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry. His first cousin once removed was

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

. His uncle, Lord Robert Edward Innes-Ker (1885–1958), married the actress

Jose Collins Charlotte Josephine Collins (23 May 1887 – 6 December 1958) was an English actress and singer known by her stage name, José Collins, who was celebrated for her performances in musical comedies, such as the long-running ''The Maid of the Mo ...

. His maternal grandfather was

Ogden Goelet Ogden Goelet (June 11, 1851 New York City – August 27, 1897 Cowes, Isle of Wight) was an American heir, businessman and yachtsman from New York City during the Gilded Age. With his wife, he built Ochre Court in Newport, Rhode Island, his so ...

(1851–1897), an American real-estate millionaire. At the time of his parents' marriage, his mother was the wealthiest American heiress, with a dowry of twenty million dollars, exceeded only by

Consuelo Vanderbilt Consuelo Vanderbilt-Balsan (formerly Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough; born Consuelo Vanderbilt; 2 March 1877 – 6 December 1964) was an American socialite and member of the Vanderbilt family. Her first marriage to the 9th D ...

. He also was a grandnephew of Mrs.

Cornelius Vanderbilt III Brigadier General Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt III (September 5, 1873 – March 1, 1942) was an American military officer, inventor, engineer, and yachtsman. He was a member of the Vanderbilt family. Early life Born in New York City to Corneliu ...

, née Grace Wilson.

Personal life

The Duke attended

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

in Windsor, Berkshire, England. On 24 October 1935, he was married to Lady Mary Evelyn Hungerford Crewe-Milnes (1915–2014), daughter of

Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe (12 January 185820 June 1945), known as The Honourable Robert Milnes from 1863 to 1885, The Lord Houghton from 1885 to 1895 and as The Earl of Crewe from 1895 to 1911, was a British Lib ...

, by his marriage to Lady Margaret Etrenne Hannah Primrose, daughter of

Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery (''née'' de Rothschild; 27 July 1851 – 19 November 1890) was the daughter of Mayer Amschel de Rothschild, Baron Mayer de Rothschild and his wife Juliana (''née'' Cohen (surname), Cohen). After inh ...

, and

Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1st Earl of Midlothian (7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895. Between the death of h ...

. The marriage ended in divorce in 1953, after the Duke controversially attempted to evict Lady Mary from the ancestral home at

. When her widowed mother died in 1967, the Duchess inherited

West Horsley Place West Horsley Place is a Grade I listed building in West Horsley, to the east of Guildford in Surrey, England. There are eight further Grade II buildings on the estate, including two mid-19th-century dog kennels. History The house dates back t ...

where she died in 2014 at the age of 99. On 5 January 1954, he married for the second time at

Caxton Hall Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily noted for its historical associations. It hosted many mainstream and fringe political and a ...

Margaret Elizabeth McConnel Margaret Elisabeth Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe (; 23 December 1918 – 2 June 1983), later Hambro, was a Scottish activist and noblewoman. Early life and background She was born in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Ireland, the daughter of ...

(1918–1993), daughter of Capt. Frederick Bradshaw McConnel and great-granddaughter of British industrialist

William McConnel William McConnel (1810 – 10 October 1902) (sometimes written: William McConnell) was a British industrialist and mill-owner from Lancashire, England. He founded the Aberdovey Slate Company that ran the Bryn Eglwys slate quarry from 1863 onwar ...

. Together, they had: *

Guy David Innes-Ker, 10th Duke of Roxburghe Guy David Innes-Ker, 10th Duke of Roxburghe (18 November 1954 – 29 August 2019), was a British aristocrat. Early life Guy David Innes Ker was born on 18 November 1954, the eldest son of the 9th Duke by his second wife (Margaret) Elisabeth McC ...

(18 November 1954 – 29 August 2019) * Lord Robert Anthony Innes-Ker (b. 28 May 1959) married 1996 (separated) Katherine Pelly, and has issue, one son and one daughter. The 9th Duke of Roxburghe died on 26 September 1974.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roxburghe, George Innes-Ker, 9th Duke of 1913 births 1974 deaths Nobility from the Scottish Borders 9 Goelet family Scottish people of American descent