James St Clair
General The Hon. James St Clair (1688 – 30 November 1762),[1] was a Scottish soldier and Whig politician.
Background
St Clair was the second son of Henry St Clair, 10th Lord Sinclair and his wife Grizel Cockburn, daughter of Sir James Cockburn, 1st Baronet.[2] As a child he received a commission into the 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Foot.[3]
Military career
St Clair became an ensign of 6th Regiment of Foot in 1694, however was set on halfpay in 1713.[3] In the next year, he was admitted to the 3rd Foot Guards and was promoted to captain in 1714.[3] He served as 2nd major of his regiment from 1722 and as 1st major from 1725, having been advanced to the rank of brevet colonel two years before.[3] In 1734, St Clair was appointed to the command of the 22nd Regiment of Foot[3] and three years later he was transferred to the colonelship of the Royal Regiment of Foot (later renamed as 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot), which he held until his death.[4]
He rose to brigadier general in 1739 and already after another two years to major general.[5] St Clair became lieutenant-general in charge of the British forces in Flanders in June 1745[6] and in the following year, he was sent with six thousand men to attack Quebec.[5] Because of delays, he sailed instead to capture the Breton port of Lorient.[5] He destroyed the French fortifications near Quiberon and then returned to England.[5] In 1761, St Clair was finally advanced to the rank of full general.[5]
Political career
St Clair entered the British House of Commons in 1722, sitting for Dysart Burghs until 1734.[7] Two years later, he was elected for Sutherland, which constituency he represented until 1747, when he was again returned for Dysart.[7] He held the latter seat until 1754 and became then member of Parliament for Fife until 1762.[7] St Clair travelled as envoy to the courts of Turin and Vienna in 1748 and later acted as governor of Cork.[5]
Personal life
In 1735, St Clair bought Rosslyn Castle, which was later inherited by the male heirs of his sisters.[8] On the death of his older brother John St Clair in 1750, he succeeded de jure as Lord Sinclair, but never assumed the title, preferring to retain his seat in the Commons.[9]
Around 1745, he married Janet Dalrymple, the youngest daughter of Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet and widow of Sir John Baird, 2nd Baronet.[10] Their marriage was childless.[2] St Clair died in Dysart in 1766 and was survived by his wife for four years.[10] With his death the lordship became dormant until 1782, when it reverted to Charles St Clair, a first cousin of James Sinclair, 7th Lord Sinclair.[2]
Legacy
St. Clair, Minnesota is named after St. Clair.[11]
References
- ↑ "Leigh Rayment - Peerage". Retrieved 3 December 2009.
- 1 2 3 Burke, John (1832). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. vol. I (4th ed.). London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley. p. 441.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Douglas, Sir Robert (1910). Sir James Balfour Paul, ed. The Scots Peerage. vol. VII. Edinburgh: David Douglas. pp. 588–589.
- ↑ "No. 7614". The London Gazette. 28 June 1737. p. 2.a.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6
"Sinclair, James (d.1762)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. - ↑ "No. 8441". The London Gazette. 15 June 1745. p. 2.
- 1 2 3 Sir Lewis Namier, John Brooke, ed. (2002). The House of Commons, 1754-1790. vol. I. London: Secker & Warburg. p. 398.
- ↑ "ThePeerage - General James St Clair". Retrieved 4 March 2007.
- ↑ Richard Cannon, Historical Record of the Twenty-Second, or the Cheshire Regiment of Foot (London, 1849) pages 52-53
- 1 2 Burke, John (2001). Peter de Vere Beauclerk-Dewar, ed. Burke's Landed Gentry of Great Britain. p. 44. ISBN 0-9711966-0-5.
- ↑ "City of St.Clair Minnesota". City of St.Clair Minnesota. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
External links
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Kerr |
Member of Parliament for Dysart Burghs 1722–1734 |
Succeeded by Thomas Leslie |
| Preceded by Sir James Fergusson |
Member of Parliament for Sutherland 1736–1747 |
Succeeded by George Mackay |
| Preceded by James Oswald |
Member of Parliament for Dysart Burghs 1747–1754 |
Succeeded by James Oswald |
| Preceded by James Oswald |
Member of Parliament for Fife 1754–1762 |
Succeeded by James Wemyss |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by William Barrell |
Colonel of the 22nd Regiment of Foot 1734–1737 |
Succeeded by John Moyle |
| Preceded by The Earl of Orkney |
Colonel of the 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot 1737–1762 |
Succeeded by Sir Henry Erskine, 5th Bt |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by John St Clair |
Lord Sinclair de jure 1750–1762 |
Dormant Title next held by Charles St Clair |