Violet Hermione Graham, Duchess of Montrose, (10 September 1854 – 21 November 1940) was a British philanthropist and

anti-suffragist Anti-suffragism was a political movement composed of both men and women that began in the late 19th century in order to campaign against women's suffrage in countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. To ...

. She served as president of the Scottish branch of the

Women's National Anti-Suffrage League The Women's National Anti-Suffrage League (1908–18) was established in London on 21 July 1908. Its aims were to oppose women being granted the voting, vote in parliamentary elections, although it did support their having votes in local govern ...

. Her husband was

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 ...

Early life and marriage

Violet Graham was born in London in 1854, the eldest daughter of Sir Frederick Graham, 3rd Baronet of Netherby and Lady Jane Hermione St Maur, daughter of Edward St Maur, 12th Duke of Somerset. She married the 5th Duke of Montrose, a Scottish nobleman, in 1876. Together they lived at the Clan Graham's

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 ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. The Duchess and her husband had five children: * James Graham, 6th Duke of Montrose (1878–1954) *Lady Helen Violet Graham (1879–1945) *Lady Hermione Emily Graham (1882–1978) *Brigadier Lord Douglas Malise Graham (1883–1974) *Captain Lord Alastair Mungo Graham (1886–1976) The Duchess was a canopy bearer for

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...

at the Queen's coronation. In 1911, she was one of four women who carried the canopy over Queen Mary at the latter's coronation.

Philanthropic work

The Duchess held several leadership positions with philanthropic organizations, including serving as president of the Soldier's and Sailor's Families Association of Scotland beginning in 1900, vice-president of the Territorial Force Nursing Service in 1908, and president of Scottish Red Cross beginning in 1909. She was also involved in charitable efforts focused on children. She commissioned a home for underprivileged children built in

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; ) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF), often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.Tom Weir. ''The Scottish Lochs''. pp. 33-43. Published by ...

in 1891.

The Anointing of Queen Alexandra at the Coronation of Edward VII

Anti-suffragist work

The

was founded in 1908, marking the beginning of organized opposition to women's suffrage in the United Kingdom. The Duchess of Montrose became the leader of the Scottish National Anti-Suffrage League in 1910 when it became a formal affiliate of the English organization and was a high-profile advocate for the cause. Writing in the ''Anti-Suffrage Review'', the Duchess described the goal of the Scottish league as convincing women "of the danger to the State if votes were given to large numbers of inexperienced women." Graham spoke at the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League's Annual Council in July 1910. She was also member of Mary Ward's Local Government Advancement Committee in 1912.

Awards and recognition

The Duchess of Montrose was granted an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Glasgow in 1907. She was awarded the GBE in 1918, the second year of the order's existence, while serving as the president of the Scottish branch of the British Red Cross Society. A

high society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

profile of the Duchess published in 1904 described her as "the uncrowned queen of Glasgow." Montrose Cape, in the

Hudson Strait Hudson Strait () in Nunavut links the Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea to Hudson Bay in Canada. This strait lies between Baffin Island and Nunavik, with its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nunavut ...

, is named after her.

References

External links

Photograph of the Duchess of Montrose at the 1911 coronation of King George VPhotograph of the Duchess of Montrose at the National Portrait GalleryPhotograph of the Duchess of Montrose at the National Trust CollectionsProfile of the Duchess in the June 1910 issue of the Anti-Suffrage Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montrose, Violet Graham, Duchess of 1854 births 1940 deaths Montrose Daughters of baronets Violet Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Wives of knights British anti-suffragists