James Graham, 1st Duke and 4th Marquess of Montrose (April 1682 – 7 January 1742) was a Scottish aristocratic statesman in the early eighteenth century.

Life

He was the only son of James Graham, 3rd Marquess of Montrose and Lady Christian Leslie. On 31 March 1702 he married Christian, daughter of David Carnegie, 3rd Earl of Northesk. Together, they had several sons, including William Graham and Lord George Graham. Originally the fourth Marquess of Montrose, James was elevated to a dukedom in 1707, as a reward for his important support of the Act of Union, whilst being Lord President of the Scottish Privy Council. He was Lord High Admiral of Scotland from 1705 to 1706. He was Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland from 1709 to 1713 and served as Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland from 1716 to 1733. He was also a Lord of the Regency for Great Britain in 1714, upon the death of Queen Anne. Furthermore, he served briefly as Secretary of State for Scotland at the time of the Georgian ministry of Lord Townshend. In 1719, he was one of the main subscribers to the Royal Academy of Music (1719), a corporation that produced baroque opera on the stage. He served as a governor of London's Foundling Hospital at the time of its foundation in 1739. For much of his adult life he was chancellor of the University of Glasgow. Apart from his political career, he was a primary creditor of Robert Roy MacGregor, who blamed the Duke for his financial ruin; MacGregor then carried out a feud with Graham for some years. Montrose was responsible for corruption charges, earning himself unpopularity through the famous Jacobite. His name was listed by Lockhart in 1711 amongst other high profile people who were claimed to have received bribes to support the vote on the Union. The Duke was said to have received £1,000 (approx. £160,000 in 2024 value) as inducement. On his death Graham was buried at Aberuthven. The grave is within Montrose Mausoleum.

Issue

In popular culture

In Harold French's Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue, Graham is played by Michael Gough. In Michael Caton-Jones's Rob Roy, Graham is played by John Hurt. In this depiction he is referred to as the "Marquess of Montrose", despite his title being raised to a dukedom in 1707.

Ancestry