Sir James Grant, 8th Baronet

Sir James Grant of Grant, 8th Baronet FRSE FSA(Scot) (19 May 1738, Moray – 18 February 1811, Castle Grant), was a Scottish landowner and politician. He went by the nickname of the good Sir James.

Life

Grant was the son of Sir Ludovick Grant, 7th Baronet, and Lady Margaret Ogilvy, daughter of the statesman James Ogilvy, 1st Earl of Seafield. Born in Moray, Scotland, he was educated at Westminster School and Christ's College, Cambridge. Grant succeeded his father as Member of Parliament for Elginshire in 1761, a seat he held until 1768.

In 1773 Grant succeeded his father as eighth Baronet of Colquhoun. In 1783 he was a co-founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and served as its first Physical President.

From 1790 to 1795 he was MP for Banffshire. He also served as Lord Lieutenant of Inverness-shire.

He died at the family seat of Castle Grant in February 1811, aged 72, and was succeeded by his son Lewis Alexander Grant, who later that year succeeded his second cousin as fifth Earl of Seafield.

Family

He married Jean Duff, daughter of Alexander Duff of Hatton, in 1763. They had 14 children, seven of whom survived to adulthood. She died in 1805.

Their children included Lewis Alexander Grant-Ogilvy, 5th Earl of Seafield FRSE (1767-1840) and Col William Francis Ogilvy-Grant, 6th Earl of Seafield.

His sister, Penuel Grant, married the Scottish author, Henry Mackenzie.