James Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas

The Right Honourable The Lord Selkirk of Douglas PC QC
Douglas-Hamilton in 2019
Minister of State for Scotland
In office 6 July 1995 – 1 May 1997
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	The Lord Fraser of Carmyllie
Succeeded by	Brian Wilson
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
In office 13 June 1987 – 6 July 1995
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher John Major
Preceded by	Michael Ancram
Succeeded by	Raymond Robertson
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office 7 May 1979 – 1 October 1981
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Alfred Bates
Succeeded by	Tony Newton
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Lothians (1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
In office 6 May 1999 – 2 April 2007
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 September 1997 Life Peerage
Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West
In office 10 October 1974 – 8 April 1997
Preceded by	James Anthony Stodart
Succeeded by	Donald Gorrie
Personal details
Born	(1942-07-31) 31 July 1942 (age 79)
Political party	Scottish Conservative Party
Spouse(s)	Priscilla Susan Buchan
Children	4
Parents	Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton Lady Elizabeth Percy
Alma mater	Balliol College, Oxford, University of Edinburgh

James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas, PC, QC (born 31 July 1942) is a Scottish Conservative politician who served as Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West and then as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothians region. Since 1997 he has been a member of the House of Lords as a life peer.

Early life[]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton was born to the 14th Duke of Hamilton and the former Lady Elizabeth Percy. He was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford where he was president of the Oxford Union, and thereafter at the University of Edinburgh.

Political career[]

He 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.

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^[1] that he would serve as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, who is the Sovereign's personal representative to the Annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, in 2012.

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.^[2]

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 continues to sit in the House of Lords, taking a particular interest in British legislation as it affects Scotland.^[3]

Books[]

Lord Selkirk of Douglas has written 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' (2016).

Family[]

In 1974 he married the Hon. (Priscilla) Susan Buchan, a granddaughter of the politician and novelist John Buchan, and daughter of Lord Tweedsmuir and Lady Tweedsmuir. They have four sons of whom the eldest, John Andrew Douglas-Hamilton, Lord Daer and Master of Selkirk (b 1978) is heir apparent to the disclaimed Earldom of Selkirk. Lord Selkirk of Douglas is also fifth in line to the Dukedom of Hamilton, after the sons and the brother of the present duke.

See also[]

• Commission on Scottish Devolution

References[]

External links[]

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord Selkirk of Douglas
• Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: James Douglas-Hamilton