Sir James Macdonald, 2nd Baronet,
GCMG
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...
(14 February 1784 – 29 June 1832) was a British politician. He sat in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
between 1805 and 1832.
Early life

Macdonald was born 14 February 1784, the eldest and only surviving son of
Sir Archibald Macdonald, a
Baron of the Exchequer
The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was ...
, by Lady Louisa Leveson-Gower.
His two surviving siblings were Susan Macdonald, the illustrator of ''"The Sports of the Genii"'',
and Caroline Diana Macdonald (wife of Rev. Thomas Randolph, son of The Rt. Rev.
John Randolph).
His paternal grandparents were
Sir Alexander Macdonald, 7th Baronet, and, his second wife, Lady Margaret Montgomerie (a daughter of the
9th Earl of Eglinton and
Susanna Kennedy). Among his extended paternal family were uncles,
Sir James Macdonald, 8th Baronet and
Alexander Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald. His maternal grandparents were
Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford
Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, KG PC (4 August 172126 October 1803), known as Viscount Trentham from 1746 to 1754 and as The Earl Gower from 1754 to 1786, was a British politician from the Leveson-Gower family. Sitting in ...
and
Lady Louisa Egerton (a daughter of the
1st Duke of Bridgwater). Among his extended maternal family were aunts Lady Margaret Leveson-Gower (wife of the
5th Earl of Carlisle), Lady Anne Leveson-Gower (wife of the Rt. Rev. Hon.
Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt
Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt (10 October 1757 – 5 November 1847) was a Church of England bishop. He was the Bishop of Carlisle from 1791 to 1807 and then the Archbishop of York until his death.
He was the third son of the George Venables ...
,
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...
), Lady Georgiana Augusta Leveson-Gower (wife of the
2nd Earl of St Germans), Lady Charlotte Leveson-Gower (wife of the
6th Duke of Beaufort), and Lady Susanna Leveson-Gower (wife of the
1st Earl of Harrowby); and uncles
George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland
George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland Order of the Garter, KG, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (9 January 175819 July 1833), known as Viscount Trentham from 1758 to 1786, as Earl Gower from 1786 to 1803 and as t ...
and
Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville
Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville, (12 October 1773 – 8 January 1846), styled Lord Granville Leveson-Gower from 1786 to 1815 and The Viscount Granville from 1815 to 1833, was a British Whig statesman and diplomat from the Leveson-G ...
.
Like his father, he was educated at
Westminster
Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
and
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
.
He was admitted to
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...
in 1804.
Career
With the support of his uncle,
George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Sutherland (later first duke), Macdonald was first elected to parliament at the by-election for the
Tain Burghs
Tain Burghs was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832, sometimes known as Northern Burghs. It was represented by one Member of P ...
in 1805. He then successfully contested the seats of
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...
at the general election of 1806,
Sutherland
Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...
at the general election of 1812, the
Calne
Calne () is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Wiltshire, southwestern England,OS Explorer Map 156, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey A2 edition (2007). at the northwestern extremity ...
by-election of 1816 (and subsequent elections) and
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, ...
at the general election of 1831.
Macdonald's father was created a baronet on his retirement in 1813 and on his death in 1826, James inherited the title. Sir James was persuaded to accept the office of
Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands
The Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands was the local representative of the British Crown in the United States of the Ionian Islands between 1816 and 1864, succeeding the earlier office of the Civil Commissioner of the Ionian Islands. At ...
, in the hope that the climate of the Mediterranean would improve his poor health. He was appointed to the office on 2 June 1832 and immediately gave up his Hampshire seat in the Commons. He was gazetted a Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...
on 22 June, the same day of the subsequent Hampshire by-election. However, he died on 29 June 1832, without having set sail for Corfu or being invested as a knight.
Personal life
Sir James was married three times. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Sparrow (1789–1818) on 5 September 1805. She was a daughter of John Sparrow, of
Bishton Hall, Staffordshire. She died on 4 January 1818; they had no issue.
He married Lady Sophia Keppel (–1824) on 10 August 1819. She was the eldest daughter of
William Keppel, 4th Earl of Albemarle
William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...
and Hon. Elizabeth Southwell (a daughter of the
20th Baron de Clifford).
[Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volumes.'' Crans, ]Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999, volume 1, page 48. Before her death on 29 September 1824, they had two sons:
[Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.'' ]Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...
: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, pps. 450–451.
*
Sir Archibald Keppel Macdonald, 3rd Baronet (1820–1901), an army officer who married Lady Margaret Sophia Coke, a daughter of
Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester in 1849. After her death, he married Catherine Mary ( Coulthurst) Stonor, widow of Hon. Thomas Stonor (a son of
3rd Baron Camoys) who was a daughter of John Nicholas Coulthurst, in 1869.
* Granville Southwell Macdonald (1821–1831), who died young.
His third, and final, marriage was on 20 April 1826 to Anne Charlotte Ogle (–1886), a daughter of the Rev. John Saville Ogle, of
Kirkley Hall, Northumberland, who was
prebendary
A prebendary is a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic or Anglicanism , Anglican clergy, a form of canon (priest) , canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in part ...
of Durham, and Catherine Hannah Sneyd.
After dining at his father-in-law's home at
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent, ...
on 27 June 1832, he fell ill the next day and died of cholera on the 29th at
Spring Gardens
Spring Gardens is a dead-end street at the south east extreme of St. James's, London, England, that crosses the east end of The Mall between Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square. Part of the old liberty of Westminster and the current City of ...
.
[Nichols, John ] He left the bulk of his estate including landed property, shares in the
Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Co., to his only surviving son,
Archibald, who succeeded him in the baronetcy.
Descendants
Through his son Arichbald, he was a grandfather of Mary Catherine Macdonald (wife of Leonard Labouchere Hillyer) and
Sir Archibald Macdonald, 4th Baronet, upon whose death the baronetcy became extinct.
References
External links
*
Sir James Macdonald, 2nd Bt. (1784-1832)at the
National Trust Collections
Sir James Macdonald, second baronetat Lord Byron and his Times
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, James
1784 births
1832 deaths
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Newcastle-under-Lyme
UK MPs 1802–1806
UK MPs 1806–1807
UK MPs 1807–1812
UK MPs 1812–1818
UK MPs 1818–1820
UK MPs 1820–1826
UK MPs 1826–1830
UK MPs 1830–1831
UK MPs 1831–1832
202
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George