James Graham, 6th Duke of Montrose
Encyclopedia
James Graham, 6th Duke of Montrose KT
CB
CVO
VD
(1 May 1878 – 20 January 1954) was a Scottish nobleman, politician and engineer.
The eldest son of Douglas Graham, 5th Duke of Montrose
, he was educated at Eton College
. In 1906 he married Lady Mary Douglas-Hamilton, the only child of the 12th Duke of Hamilton
. He succeeded to his father's titles in 1925.
He served in the Mercantile Marine and ASC in South Africa (medal and 3 clasps), 1900; served Auxiliary Naval Service, in World War I
1914–1919 (two medals). He was later Commodore of the Clyde Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and of East Coast of Scotland RNVR, Commodore of the RNVR from 1921, retiring in 1927.
He was unpaid Assistant Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
in 1905, and Naval Aide-de-Camp to His Majesty.
He was unsuccessful Conservative
parliamentary candidate for Stirlingshire
in 1906
, at the 1906 by-election at Eye
, Suffolk, and at the general election in 1910
. He joined the Liberal Party
in 1936.
He was President of the British Institution of Marine Engineers in 1911, and President of the Junior Institution of Engineers in 1916 and 1917. He was the inventor and designer of first naval aircraft carrying ship
, and designer and owner of first sea going heavy oil motorship. He obtained first film ever taken of a total eclipse of the Sun
during a Royal Astronomical Society
expedition to India in 1899, and took part in a mission in 1900 for Lloyd's of London
to the South African Government to establish Wireless Telegraphic Stations on the coast. He was Vice-President of the Institution of Naval Architects, a Younger Brother of Trinity House
, a Trustee for the Royal Incorporation of Master Mariners, a Member of the Royal Company of Archers
, and Commodore of the Sea Cadets
in Scotland.
He was Lord Lieutenant of Buteshire
from 1920 until 1953 and was Lord High Commissioner
to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
in 1942 and 1943. He was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
in 1905, a Companion of the Bath
in 1911 and a Knight of the Thistle
in 1947.
At the age of 15 while at Eton the Duke went deaf, for which he blamed a rifle going off near his ear at a Volunteer field-day. In his obituary however the eminent ENT specialist Scott-Stevenson said his deafness was probably 'post-diphtheritic'. The Duke maintained an active interest in charitable work with deaf people, becoming the President of the National Institute for the Deaf from 1935 until his death. Scott-Stevenson said that the Duke's speeches in the House of Lords
helped persuade the government to make the Medresco hearing aid and its batteries free on the NHS.
Order 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...
CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
VD
Volunteer Decoration
The Volunteer Officers' Decoration was created by Royal Warrant under command of Queen Victoria on 25 July 1892 to reward 'efficient and capable' officers of the Volunteer Force who had served for twenty years...
(1 May 1878 – 20 January 1954) was a Scottish nobleman, politician and engineer.
The eldest son of Douglas Graham, 5th Duke of Montrose
Douglas Graham, 5th Duke of Montrose
Douglas Beresford Malise Ronald Graham, 5th Duke of Montrose KT was a Scottish nobleman.The 3rd son of 4th Duke and Caroline Agnes, youngest daughter of the 2nd Lord Decies, he was educated at Eton College and succeeded his father in 1874.He joined the Coldstream Guards in 1872, transferred to...
, he was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. In 1906 he married Lady Mary Douglas-Hamilton, the only child of the 12th Duke of Hamilton
William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton
William Alexander Louis Stephen Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton, 9th Duke of Brandon, 2nd Duke of Châtellerault KT was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:...
. He succeeded to his father's titles in 1925.
He served in the Mercantile Marine and ASC in South Africa (medal and 3 clasps), 1900; served Auxiliary Naval Service, in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
1914–1919 (two medals). He was later Commodore of the Clyde Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and of East Coast of Scotland RNVR, Commodore of the RNVR from 1921, retiring in 1927.
He was unpaid Assistant Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
in 1905, and Naval Aide-de-Camp to His Majesty.
He was unsuccessful Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
parliamentary candidate for Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Stirlingshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain and later of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1918...
in 1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, at the 1906 by-election at Eye
Eye (UK Parliament constituency)
Eye was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election...
, Suffolk, and at the general election in 1910
United Kingdom general election, 1910
There were two general elections held in the United Kingdom in 1910:*United Kingdom general election, January 1910 was held from 15 January – 10 February 1910....
. He joined the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
in 1936.
He was President of the British Institution of Marine Engineers in 1911, and President of the Junior Institution of Engineers in 1916 and 1917. He was the inventor and designer of first naval aircraft carrying ship
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, and designer and owner of first sea going heavy oil motorship. He obtained first film ever taken of a total eclipse of the Sun
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
during a Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
expedition to India in 1899, and took part in a mission in 1900 for Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
to the South African Government to establish Wireless Telegraphic Stations on the coast. He was Vice-President of the Institution of Naval Architects, a Younger Brother of Trinity House
Trinity House
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters...
, a Trustee for the Royal Incorporation of Master Mariners, a Member of the Royal Company of Archers
Royal Company of Archers
The Royal Company of Archers is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland, a role it has performed since 1822 and the reign of King George IV, when the company provided a personal bodyguard to the King on his visit to Scotland. It is currently known as the Queen's...
, and Commodore of the Sea Cadets
Sea Cadets
Sea Cadets are generally members of a Sea Cadet Corps, a formal uniformed youth organisation for young people with an interest in water borne activities and or the national Navy. The organisation may be sponsored in whole or in part by the Navy, Navy League or Naval supporter's organisation...
in Scotland.
He was Lord Lieutenant of Buteshire
Lord Lieutenant of Buteshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Buteshire. The post was established in 1794 and abolished in 1975, being replaced by the Lord Lieutenant of Argyll and Bute and the Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran....
from 1920 until 1953 and was Lord High Commissioner
Lord High Commissioner
Lord High Commissioner is the style of High Commissioners, i.e. direct representatives of the monarch, in three cases in the Kingdom of Scotland and the United Kingdom, two of which are no longer extant...
to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
in 1942 and 1943. He was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
in 1905, a Companion of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1911 and a Knight of the Thistle
Order 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...
in 1947.
At the age of 15 while at Eton the Duke went deaf, for which he blamed a rifle going off near his ear at a Volunteer field-day. In his obituary however the eminent ENT specialist Scott-Stevenson said his deafness was probably 'post-diphtheritic'. The Duke maintained an active interest in charitable work with deaf people, becoming the President of the National Institute for the Deaf from 1935 until his death. Scott-Stevenson said that the Duke's speeches in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
helped persuade the government to make the Medresco hearing aid and its batteries free on the NHS.