| The Most Honourable The Marquess of Lothian KT, PC |
|
|---|---|
| Secretary for Scotland | |
| In office 11 March 1887 – 11 August 1892 |
|
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Marquess of Salisbury |
| Preceded by | Arthur Balfour |
| Succeeded by | George Trevelyan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 December 1833 |
| Died | 17 January 1900 London |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Victoria Montagu Douglas Scott (1844–1938) |
| Alma mater | New College, Oxford |
Schomberg Henry Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian KT, PC (2 December 1833 – 17 January 1900), styled Lord Schomberg Kerr until 1870, was a British diplomat and Conservative politician. He served as Secretary for Scotland under Lord Salisbury between 1887 and 1892.
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Lothian was the second son of John Kerr, 7th Marquess of Lothian, and Lady Cecil, daughter of Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 2nd Earl Talbot. His younger brothers Major-General Lord Ralph Kerr (1837–1916) and Admiral of the Fleet Lord Walter Kerr (1839–1927) both had distinguished military careers.[1] He was educated at Trinity College Glenalmond, now Glenalmond College Perth, and was one of the first of 14 boys to join the newly started school in 1847. He arrived one day early by mistake. New College, Oxford.
Lothian entered the Diplomatic Service and was Attaché at Lisbon and Tehran in 1854, Baghdad in 1855 and Athens from 1857, then second secretary at Frankfurt from 1862 and Madrid from 1865 and Vienna from 1865. In 1870 he succeeded in the marquessate on the early death of his childless elder brother. He was appointed Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1874,[2] a post he held until his death 26 years later, and was made a Knight of the Thistle in 1878.[3]
In 1886 he was sworn of the Privy Council[4] and the following year he succeeded Arthur Balfour as Secretary for Scotland[5] and Vice-President of the Scottish Education Department[6] in Lord Salisbury's Conservative administration. However, in contrast to Balfour he was not a member of the cabinet. He remained as head of the Scotland Office until the government fell in 1892.
Apart from his political career Lothian was also Rector of the University of Edinburgh between 1887 and 1890.[7]
Lord Lothian married Lady Victoria Alexandria, daughter of Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch, in 1865. They had three sons and six daughters. His eldest son Walter Kerr, Earl of Ancram (1867–1892) died in a shooting accident in Australia in June 1892, unmarried, while his second son Lord Schomberg Kerr (1869–1877) died as an infant. Lord Lothian died in London in January 1900, aged 66, and was succeeded in the marquessate by his third and only surviving son, Robert. The Marchioness of Lothian later remarried and died in June 1938, aged 93.[1]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Arthur Balfour |
Secretary for Scotland 1887–1892 |
Succeeded by George Trevelyan |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Dalhousie |
Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland 1874–1900 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Leven |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Iddesleigh |
Rector of the University of Edinburgh 1887–1890 |
Succeeded by George Goschen |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by William Schomberg Robert Kerr |
Marquess of Lothian 1870–1900 |
Succeeded by Robert Schomberg Kerr |