Coronation date 1992 Role Hereditary peer | Name James 8th Tenure 1992 – | |
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Spouse(s) Catherine Young (1935 - 2014) Issue Lady Hermione Elizabeth GrahamJames Alexander, Marquess of GrahamLord Ronald John Christopher Graham Predecessor James Graham, 7th Duke of Montrose | ||
James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose (born 6 April 1935), known as Earl of Kincardine until 1954 and Marquess of Graham between 1954 and 1992, is a Southern Rhodesia-born hereditary peer of the Peerage of Scotland and a British Conservative Party politician.
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Parents
The Duke was born in Southern Rhodesia, where his father, then the Marquess of Graham, was attempting to establish a farm.
Marriage
On January 31, 1970, as Marquess of Graham, he married Catherine Elizabeth MacDonell Young (d. 29 October 2014), of Canada.
They have three children:
Education
The Duke attended boarding school in Scotland, first in Aberdeenshire and after that at the Loretto School near Edinburgh.
Politics and international relations
The Duke considers himself a Conservative and took his seat in the House of Lords on his father's death in 1992. He is one of four dukes to have re-entered the House (of the 24 non-royal dukes eligible) following the House of Lords Act 1999, having been one of the 90 peers chosen or elected by the others sitting. The other dukes in the upper house among these are the Duke of Somerset, who won a by-election in December 2014, the Duke of Wellington, who won a by-election in September 2015, and the Duke of Norfolk who, as hereditary Earl Marshal and one of the Great Officers of State, does not have to stand for election.
The Duke of Montrose was a shadow minister for the Scotland Office before the 2010 General Election. He has also spent some time in China promoting renewable energy and environmental measures, and he is a fluent speaker of Mandarin.