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Donald Cameron of Lochiel (1835–1905)

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The Right Honourable
Donald Cameron of Lochiel
JP DL FRGS
Lochiel with Viscountess Hawarden, 1861
Lord Lieutenant of Inverness
In office
1887–1905
Preceded byThe Lord Lovat
Succeeded byAlfred Mackintosh
Member of Parliament
for Inverness-shire
In office
1868–1885
Preceded byHenry Baillie
Succeeded byCharles Fraser-Mackintosh
Personal details
Born
Donald Cameron

(1835-04-05)5 April 1835
Richmond, Surrey, England
Died30 November 1905(1905-11-30) (aged 70)
Achnacarry, Inverness-shire, Scotland
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1875)​
Children4, including the 25th Lochiel
Parent(s)Donald Cameron, 23rd Lochiel
Lady Vere Hobart
ResidenceAchnacarry Castle

Donald Cameron of Lochiel, JP, DL, FRGS (5 April 1835 – 30 November 1905) was a British Conservative politician, diplomat, and the 24th Lochiel of Clan Cameron in the Scottish Highlands.

Early life

Lochiel was the eldest son of Donald Cameron, 23rd Lochiel of the Grenadier Guards and Lady Vere Catherine Louisa Hobart (1803–1888), of Hampden House, Buckinghamshire. His mother, a sister of the 5th Earl of Buckinghamshire, was the daughter of the Hon. George Vere Hobart by his second wife Janet Maclean, a scion of the Macleans of Coll and Camerons of Glendessary.[1] Lochaber joyously celebrated the birth of Lochiel's heir during the spring of 1835, with commemorative dinners held by Camerons 'from Ballachulish Ferry to the Marches of Knoydart', as well as the lighting of bonfires on Ben Nevis.[2]

He was educated at Harrow, and shortly thereafter entered into diplomatic service.[2]

Career

Diplomacy

Entering the Foreign Office in 1852, Cameron was to be employed in diplomatic service in Europe and the Far East. In 1857, he was appointed First Attaché of the Earl of Elgin's special embassy to China during the Second Opium War.[2] He was then at the British embassy in Berlin, where he met with Otto von Bismarck, and was also a paid Attaché at Bern, Copenhagen and Stockholm.[3] He retired from the diplomatic service in 1859.

Public life

At the 1868 general election Cameron was elected Member of Parliament for Inverness-shire and took his seat in the House of Commons, which he held until 1885.[4] He was a Justice of the peace and Deputy lieutenant for Inverness-shire and Buckinghamshire, respectively.[5] From 1887, he held the office of Lord Lieutenant of Inverness-shire.[6] From 1874 to 1880, Lochiel served as groom-in-waiting to Queen Victoria,[5] whom he had hosted during a Royal visit to Achnacarry in 1873.[2]

Active in sheep farming, Lochiel had to take on the stakes of most of the sheep farms on his estate during the acute depression in the industry. As such, he had an intimate knowledge of the shepherds plight, and that of the related business of deer stalking. He was appointed in 1883 to the Napier Association, to enquire into the grievances of the Crofters, and was later named to the Deer Forest Commission in 1894.[2]

Marriage and children

In 1875, Lochiel married Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, the second daughter of Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch, by his wife Lady Charlotte Thynne, the daughter of Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath.[6][7] They had four sons:

Commemoration

Statue in Fort William

Lochiel is commemorated with a statue in Fort William on the Parade, erected circa 1905. He is depicted in full Highland regalia with an inscription in Scottish Gaelic: Dòmhnall Camshron mac Dhòmhnaill Dubh. The statue serves as tribute to a Highland gentleman who faithfully served both Lochaber and his clan during his lifetime.[2]

References

  1. ^ Mosley, Charles (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (1 ed.). Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A. p. 607.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "The Chiefs of Clan Cameron". www.lochiel.net. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  3. ^ The Foreign Office List and Diplomatic and Consular Year Book. Harrison. 1881.
  4. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "I"
  5. ^ a b Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1881
  6. ^ a b "Clan Cameron genealogies". Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
  7. ^ a b c d e Stewart of Ardvorlich, John (1974). The Camerons: A History of Clan Cameron. The Clan Cameron Charitable Trust. p. 162.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Inverness-shire
1868–1885 		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Inverness
1887–1905 		Succeeded by
Alfred Mackintosh
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