John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl
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John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl KT PC (6 May 1729 – 5 November 1774) was the son of Lord George Murray.
On 23 October 1753, he married his first cousin, Lady Charlotte Murray, at Dunkeld. They had nine children:
- Lady Charlotte Murray (1754–1808)
- John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl (1755–1830)
- Rt. Rev. Lord George Murray (1761–1803)
- Lord William Murray (1762–1796)
- Lady Amelia Murray (1763–1818)
- Lady Jane Murray (1764–1846)
- Lord Henry Murray (1767–1805)
- Lady Mary Murray (1769–1814)
- Very Rev. Lord Charles Murray-Aynsley (1771–1808)
John was Tory MP for Perthshire from 1761 to 1764. On 8 January 1764, his uncle and father-in-law, the 2nd Duke of Atholl died. John should have been heir to the dukedom, which was only able to descend through the male line; but he was ineligible since his father had fought in Jacobite Rising and consequently been attained in the blood. John's wife, however, had succeeded to her father's title of Baron Strange (which could descend through the female line) and consequently held a higher position in society than her husband. Thus, just less than a month later on 7 February 1764, the House of Lords deemed John as the rightful heir to his uncle's title (notwithstanding the attainder of his father) and he succeed him as 3rd Duke of Atholl. He was Grand Master of the Ancient Grand Lodge of England from 1771 until 1774, and Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland from 1773 to 1774.
The duke died in 1774, aged 45, after drowning in the River Tay in a fit of delirium and was buried at Dunkeld.
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lord John Murray |
Member for Perthsire 1761–1764 |
Succeeded by David Graeme |
| Head of State of the Isle of Man | ||
| Preceded by James Murray |
Lord of Mann 1764–1765 |
Succeeded by George III Revested into British Crown |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by James Murray |
Duke of Atholl 1764–1774 |
Succeeded by John Murray |
| Freemasonry offices | ||
| Preceded by Hon. Thomas Mathew |
Grand Master of the Antient Grand Lodge of England 1771–1774 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Atholl |
| Preceded by The Earl of Dumfries |
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland 1773–1774 |
Succeeded by David Dalrymple |
