View source for George Douglas, 16th Earl of Morton

{{Short description|Scottish peer and politician}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
[[File:George Douglas, 16th Earl of Morton (1761-1827) by William Beechey, (Burford, Oxforshire 1753-1839 London).jpg|thumb|Portrait of Morton in the dress of the [[Royal Company of Archers]] in [[Holyrood Park]] by [[William Beechey]]]]
'''George Douglas, 16th Earl of Morton''', [[Order of the Thistle|KT]], [[Royal Society of London|FRS]], [[FRSE]], [[Society of Antiquaries of London|FSA]] (3 April 1761 – 17 July 1827) was a Scottish peer and politician.
==Life==
He was the son of [[Sholto Douglas, 15th Earl of Morton]], and Katherine Hamilton. He succeeded to the title Earl of Morton in 1774 aged only thirteen, following the death of his father. He was sent to [[Eton College]] to be educated.<ref>{{cite book|title=Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002|date=July 2006|publisher=The Royal Society of Edinburgh|isbn=0-902-198-84-X|url=https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf|access-date=29 February 2016|archive-date=24 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124115814/http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Following his education he conducted a Grand Tour of Europe, as was the fashion of the day, and visited most of the European Courts.
He was elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]] in February 1785. His proposers were [[Daniel Rutherford]], [[John Robison (physicist)|John Robison]], and Alexander Keith. He served as vice-president of the [[Royal Society of London]] occasionally from 1795 to 1819, if [[Joseph Banks]] was unavailable.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.royalsociety.org/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=10&dsqSearch=%28Surname%3D%27douglas%27%29 |title=Library and Archive Catalogue |publisher=Royal Society |accessdate=28 November 2010 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
The Earl was a frequent member of the Royal Company of Archers. Also, he had an interest in [[horse breeding]] and was noted for his attempts to breed a [[quagga]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.douglashistory.co.uk/history/articles/livestock/mortons-mare.htm |title=A quagga |publisher=Douglas History |accessdate=13 December 2017}}</ref>
He served as a representative peer from 1784 to 1790 and as [[Chamberlain (office)|Queen's Chamberlain]] 1792 to 1818. He was also [[Lord Lieutenant]] of [[Fife]] from 1808 to 1824. He was also High Commissioner to the Church of Scotland.
On 11 August 1791 he was created '''Baron Douglas of [[Loch Leven (Kinross)|Loch Leven]]''', in the [[County of Kinross]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=13329 |date=30 July 1791 |page=432}}</ref> Thereafter he took a seat in the [[House of Lords]] between [[Lord Howard de Walden]] and [[Lord Walsingham]]. He was knighted at [[St. James's Palace]] in 1797 as a [[Order of the Thistle|Knight of the Thistle]].
During a debate in the House of Lords on 5 February 1807 over the proposed [[Slave Trade Act 1807]], which would abolish British involvement in the [[Atlantic slave trade]], he stated his opposition to the bill and "recommended to their lordships to pause, and to consider whether the abolition of the trade would not be attended with worse consequences in the view of humanity, than its continuation".<ref> https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1807/feb/05/slave-trade-abolition-bill </ref>
He died at the family estate of [[Dalmahoy]] House on 17 July 1827.<ref>The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, (periodical) July to December 1827</ref>
==Family==
On 13 August 1814, he married Susan Elizabeth Buller (daughter of [[Sir Francis Buller, 1st Baronet|Sir Francis Buller]]). They had no children.
His illegitimate children included Georgiana Dods, and [[Walter Sholto Douglas]], who were raised at [[Dalmahoy|Dalmahoy House]] and in London.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women |url=https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict00ewan |url-access=limited |first1=Elizabeth L. |last1=Ewan |first2=Sue |last2=Innes |first3=Sian |last3=Reynolds |first4=Rose |last4=Pipes |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0748617135 |location=Edinburgh |pages=[https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict00ewan/page/n131 97]–98}}</ref>
Douglas was succeeded in the earldom by his first cousin, George Sholto Douglas.  The barony of Douglas of Loch Leven became extinct on his death.
==Freemasonry==
Lord Morton was a Scottish Freemason. He was Initiated in Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, No. 2, on 30 November 1789. The source here cited states, incorrectly, that he was the 17th earl.<ref>History of the Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, No.2, compiled from the records 1677–1888. By Alan MacKenzie. 1888. p. 243.</ref> Exactly one year later he was elected as [[Grand Master Mason]] of the [[Grand Lodge of Scotland]].
During his term in office there were several notable events, one concerning politics. "It was declared by Grand Lodge, on 1 August [1791] that difference of political sentiments was to be no bar to Masonic fellowship, and that any Daughter Lodge guilty of excluding any Brother on that account merely would incur such censure as the Grand Lodge might at the time deem proper."<ref>The History of Freemasonry and Grand Lodge of Scotland. By William A. Lawrie. Edinburgh. 1859. p. 146.</ref>
==See also==
*[[Lord Morton’s mare]], once thought to demonstrate [[Telegony (pregnancy)|telegony]].
==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{Rayment|date=February 2012}}
==External links==
* [http://www.lck2.co.uk/ Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, No. 2, (Edinburgh)]
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{{succession box | title=[[File:Arms of the House Douglas of Morton.svg|40px]] <br />[[Earl of Morton]] | before=[[Sholto Douglas, 15th Earl of Morton|Sholto Douglas]] | after=[[George Douglas, 17th Earl of Morton|George Douglas]] | years=1774–1827}}
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{{s-ttl| title=[[Earl of Morton|Baron Douglas of Lochleven]] | years=1791–1827}}
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[[Category:1761 births]]
[[Category:1827 deaths]]
[[Category:Nobility from Edinburgh]]
[[Category:House of Douglas and Angus|George Douglas, 16th Earl of Morton]]
[[Category:Knights of the Thistle]]
[[Category:Lord-lieutenants of Fife]]
[[Category:Lord-lieutenants of Midlothian]]
[[Category:Scottish representative peers]]
[[Category:Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Members of the Royal Company of Archers]]
[[Category:Peers of Great Britain created by George III]]
[[Category:Household of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]