James Graham, 4th Duke of Montrose, KT, PC (16 July 1799 – 30 December 1874), styled Marquess of Graham until 1836, of

Buchanan Castle Buchanan Castle is a ruined castle in Stirlingshire, Scotland, located west of the village of Drymen. The house was commissioned by the 4th Duke of Montrose and built in 1852–1858 as a home for the Montrose family, serving as such until 1925 ...

, Stirlingshire and 45 Belgrave Square, London, was a British

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 ...

politician.

Background and education

Montrose was the son of

James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose, KG, KT, PC (8 September 1755 – 30 December 1836), styled Marquess of Graham until 1790, was a Scottish nobleman and statesman. Background Montrose was the son of William Graham, 2nd Duke of Montrose, an ...

, by his second wife Lady Caroline Maria, daughter of

George Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester George Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester PC (6 April 17372 September 1788) was a British politician and diplomat. Early life He was the son of Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester and the former Harriet Dunch. Among his siblings were Lord Char ...

.thepeerage.com James Graham, 4th Duke of Montrose
/ref> He 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 depa ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

Cricket

A member of

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

, Montrose made a single first-class appearance for an All-England team against

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

in 1828. He was recorded in the scorecard as Lord James Graham and scored two runs.

Political career

In 1821, aged 21, Montrose was appointed

Vice-Chamberlain of the Household The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The officeholder is usually a senior government whip in the British House of Commons ranking third or fourth after the Chief Whip and ...

, despite not having a seat in Parliament, and was sworn of the Privy Council the same year. He remained as Vice-Chamberlain until 1827. He was returned to Parliament for

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

in 1825, a seat he held until 1832, and served as a commissioner of the India Board between 1828 and 1830. In 1836 he succeeded his father in the dukedom and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. When the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

became Prime Minister in February 1852, Montrose was appointed

Lord Steward of the Household The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is one of the three Great Officers of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarch. He is, by tradition, the first great officer of ...

, a post he retained until the government fell in December of the same year. He again served under Derby as

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. Excluding the prime minister, the chancellor is the highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the prime minister ...

between 1858 and 1859 and under Derby and later

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. History The practice of having a government official ...

between 1866 and 1868, although he was never a member of the Cabinet. As Postmaster General he introduced the Electric Telegraphs Bill which resulted in the transfer of British telegraph companies to the Post Office. Apart from his political career Montrose served as

Chancellor of the University of Glasgow The chancellor is the titular head of the University of Glasgow and president of the general council, by whom they are elected. The office is intended to be held for life. Their principal duty is to confer degrees upon those presented to them b ...

between 1837 and 1874 (succeeding his father) and as

Lord Lieutenant of Stirlingshire This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Stirlingshire in Scotland. The office was abolished in 1975, and replaced with the Lord Lieutenant of Stirling and Falkirk. * David Erskine, 9th Earl of Buchan 1713 – 1715 * ''incomp ...

between 1843 and 1874. He was made a

Knight of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier order. The ...

in 1845.

Marriage and issue

In 1836, Montrose married Hon. Caroline Agnes Horsley-Beresford (1818–1894), daughter of John Beresford, 2nd Baron Decies and grand-niece of the 1st Marquess of Waterford. In 1860, they were both survivors of the train involved in the Atherstone rail accident. She survived him and in 1876 married secondly to William Stuart Stirling-Crawfurd. By his wife he had issue including:

Sons

* Lord James John Graham (1845–1846), who died in infancy. * Lord James Graham (1847–1872), styled by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

of Marquess of Graham, eldest surviving son and

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

, who predeceased his father by two years. * Douglas Beresford Malise Ronald Graham, 5th Duke of Montrose (1852–1925), only surviving son and heir, who married Violet Hermione Graham, second daughter of Sir Frederick Ulric Graham, 3rd Baronet.

Daughters

* Lady Agnes Caroline Graham (1839–1873), who married Lt. Col. John Murray of Touchadam and Polmaise in 1859. * Lady Beatrice Violet Graham (1842–1932), was a writer (she married

Algernon Greville, 2nd Baron Greville Algernon William Fulke Greville, 2nd Baron Greville (11 February 1841 – 2 December 1909), styled Hon. Algernon Greville-Nugent from 1866 to 1883, was a British politician. Early life Algernon was the eldest of five sons of Fulke Greville-Nuge ...

in 1863). * Lady Alma Imogen Leonora Carlotta Graham (1854–1932), who married

Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane (9 April 1851 – 19 October 1922), styled as Lord Glenorchy between 1862 and 1871 and as the Earl of Breadalbane and Holland between 1871 and 1885, was a Scottish nobleman and Liberal politician. B ...

in 1872.

Death

He died at

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

in December 1874, aged 75, and was succeeded in the dukedom by his son,

Douglas Graham, 5th Duke of Montrose Douglas Beresford Malise Ronald Graham, 5th Duke of Montrose, (7 November 1852 – 10 December 1925), styled Lord Douglas Graham until 1872 and Marquess of Graham until 1874, was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and landowner. Early life Born a ...

(1852–1925).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montrose, James Graham, 4th Duke of 1799 births 1874 deaths Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster

204 __NOTOC__ Year 204 ( CCIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cilo and Flavius (or, less frequently, year 957 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 204 for th ...

Postmasters general of the United Kingdom Knights of the Thistle Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Lord-lieutenants of Stirlingshire Montrose, 4th Duke of Graham, James Graham, Viscount Graham, James Graham, Viscount Graham, James Graham, Viscount Graham, James Graham, Viscount Graham, James Graham, Viscount UK MPs who inherited peerages Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge People educated at Eton College English cricketers English cricketers of 1826 to 1863 19th-century British sportsmen Non-international England cricketers Survivors of railway accidents or incidents