James Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable

| name = The Lord Selkirk of Douglas

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|PC|KC}}

| image = Official portrait of Lord Selkirk of Douglas crop 2.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2018

| office = Minister of State for Scotland

| primeminister = John Major

| term_start = 6 July 1995

| term_end = 2 May 1997

| predecessor = The Lord Fraser of Carmyllie

| successor = Brian Wilson

| office1 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland

| primeminister1 = {{ubl|Margaret Thatcher|John Major}}

| term_start1 = 13 June 1987

| term_end1 = 6 July 1995

| predecessor1 = Michael Ancram

| successor1 = Raymond Robertson

| office2 = Lord Commissioner of the Treasury

| primeminister2 = Margaret Thatcher

| term_start2 = 7 May 1979

| term_end2 = 1 October 1981

| predecessor2 = Alfred Bates

| successor2 = Tony Newton

| parliament3 = Scottish

| constituency_MP3 = {{br entries|Lothians|{{nobold|(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)}}}}

| term_start3 = 6 May 1999

| term_end3 = 2 April 2007

| office4 = Member of the House of Lords

| status4 = Lord Temporal

| term_start4 = 29 September 1997

| term_end4 = 27 July 2023

| term_label4 = Life peerage

| parliament5 = United Kingdom

| constituency_MP5 = Edinburgh West

| term_start5 = 10 October 1974

| term_end5 = 8 April 1997

| predecessor5 = Anthony Stodart

| successor5 = Donald Gorrie

| birth_name = James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton

| birth_date = {{birth date|1942|07|31|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Dungavel House, Lanarkshire, Scotland

| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|11|28|1942|07|31|df=yes}}

| death_place =

| restingplace =

| birthname =

| nationality =

| party = Scottish Conservative

| otherparty =

| spouse = {{marriage|Priscilla Susan Buchan|1974}}

| children = 4

| parents = {{ubl|Douglas Douglas-Hamilton|Lady Elizabeth Percy}}

| residence =

| alma_mater = {{ubl|Balliol College, Oxford|University of Edinburgh (LL.B.)}}

}}

James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas, {{postnominals|country=GBR|PC|KC|size=100%|sep=,}} (31 July 1942 – 28 November 2023) was a Scottish Conservative politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh West and then as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothians region. Between 1997 and 2023 he was a member of the House of Lords as a life peer.

In 1994, he was briefly Earl of Selkirk, but disclaimed that peerage to remain in the House of Commons.

Early life

James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton was born at Dungavel House on 31 July 1942, to the 14th Duke of Hamilton and the former Lady Elizabeth Percy.{{cite news|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2023/11/29/lord-selkirk-of-douglas-edinburgh-tory-mp-lord-james/|title = Lord Selkirk of Douglas, Edinburgh Tory MP who was a courteous and able politician – obituary|date = 29 November 2023|accessdate = 29 November 2023|newspaper = The Daily Telegraph|url-access = subscription}} He was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, where he was president of the Oxford Union, and thereafter at the University of Edinburgh, earning a Bachelor of Laws degree.

Political career

Douglas-Hamilton served as an advocate and an interim Procurator Fiscal Depute from 1968 to 1972. From 1972 to 1974, he was a councillor on Edinburgh District Council, and after unsuccessfully contesting Hamilton in February 1974, from October 1974 to 1997 he was Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West. During this time, he served in the Scottish Office. He was briefly Falkland Pursuivant in the Court of the Lord Lyon in July 1973.{{London Gazette|city=e|issue=19264|page=729|date=22 June 1973}}

In the years between 1987 and 1995 he served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, and thereafter as Minister of State between 1995 and 1997. He had previously been a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury between 1979 and 1981. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor and Queen's Counsel in 1996.

It was announced on 12 December 2011{{cite press release|url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/lord-high-commissioner-to-the-general-assembly-of-the-church-of-scotland-2012/ |title=Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly Of The Church Of Scotland 2012 |website=Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street |date=12 December 2011 }} that he would serve as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (as well as to the Free Church of Scotland), who is the Sovereign's personal representative to the Annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, in 2012.{{Cite web |title=Free Church of Scotland 2012 General Assembly Concludes |url=https://theaquilareport.com/free-church-of-scotland-2012-general-assembly/ |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=theaquilareport.com}} He also served the same role at the 2013 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and Free Church of Scotland.{{Cite web |title=General Assembly 2013 |url=https://www.lifeandwork.org/features/general-assembly-2013 |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=www.lifeandwork.org |language=en}}

Peerage

In 1994 on the death of George Nigel Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk, Selkirk inherited the earldom, although the succession was disputed, as Alasdair Douglas-Hamilton, a nephew of the 10th Earl, claimed it, ultimately without success. Due to the terms of the Peerage Act 1963, Selkirk was considered to be unable to vote in the House of Commons until he had disclaimed the title, even though the succession to it had not been decided. As the Conservative government of the day had a small majority, he felt obliged to disclaim immediately.

After losing his seat in the 1997 general election, he was elevated to the House of Lords as a life peer, being created Baron Selkirk of Douglas, of Cramond in the City of Edinburgh council area.{{cite news|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/24274/page/2506|newspaper=The Edinburgh Gazette|title=Crown Office|page=2506|issue=24274|date=3 October 1997}} Lord Selkirk retired from the House of Lords on 27 July 2023.{{Cite web |title=Retirement of One Member (Retirement List) |url=https://lordsbusiness.parliament.uk/ItemOfBusiness?itemOfBusinessId=126067§ionId=53&businessPaperDate=2023-05-16 |access-date=16 May 2023 |website=UK Parliament}}

Scottish Parliament

From 1999 to 2007 he was a member of the Scottish Parliament and was deputy Convener of its Education Committee. In November 2005, Lord Selkirk of Douglas announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2003–2007 session of the Scottish Parliament. He continued to sit in the House of Lords, taking a particular interest in British legislation as it affects Scotland.{{cite web|url=http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=2325642005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325193545/http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=2325642005|archive-date=25 March 2007|title=Lord James to quit Holyrood and take up seat with peers|date=30 November 2005|website=Scotsman.com News}}

Books

Lord Selkirk of Douglas wrote a number of books, including Motive for a Mission: The Story Behind Hess's Flight to Britain about his father's meeting with Rudolf Hess when he landed in Scotland during World War II. He later wrote a biography on Rudolf Hess entitled The Truth About Rudolf Hess (1993).

Personal life

On 24 August 1974 Douglas-Hamilton married Priscilla Susan Buchan, daughter of John Buchan, 2nd Baron Tweedsmuir, and Priscilla Jean Fortescue Thomson, and granddaughter of the politician and novelist John Buchan. They had four sons – John, 12th Earl of Selkirk, Charles, Jamie, and Harry.

Douglas-Hamilton was fifth in line to the Dukedom of Hamilton, after the sons and the brother of the 16th Duke.

His aunt was the pioneer aviator Audrey Sale-Barker, later Countess of Selkirk.

Douglas-Hamilton died of pneumonia on 28 November 2023, at the age of 81.{{Cite web |title=James Douglas-Hamilton obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/james-douglas-hamilton-obituary-hcvgxrmgz |access-date=29 November 2023 |website=The Times}}{{Cite news |last=Learmonth |first=Andrew |date=29 November 2023 |title=Tributes paid to James Douglas-Hamilton, former Tory MP and MSP |work=The Herald |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23956856.tributes-paid-james-douglas-hamilton-former-tory-mp-msp |access-date=29 November 2023}}