James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose


James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose, 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.

Biography

Parents

The Duke was born in Southern Rhodesia, where his father, then the Marquess of Graham, was attempting to establish a farm.

Marriage

On 31 January 1970, as Marquess of Graham, he married Catherine Elizabeth MacDonell Young, of Canada.
They have three children:
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 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.

Titles and styles