James Ogilvy, 4th Earl of Findlater

The Earl of Findlater KT PC
James Ogilvy, 4th Earl of Findlater.
Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland
In office 1713–1714
Monarch	Queen Anne
Preceded by	The Marquess of Tweeddale
Succeeded by	The Earl of Seafield
Lord Chancellor of Scotland
In office 1705–1708
Monarch	Queen Anne
Preceded by	The Earl of Marchmont
Succeeded by	In abeyance
Personal details
Born	11 July 1664
Died	19 August 1730 (aged 66)

James Ogilvy, 4th Earl of Findlater and 1st Earl of Seafield KT PC (11 July 1664 – 19 August 1730) was a Scottish politician.

The Earl of Findlater in the robes of the Lord Chief Baron.

Findlater was the son of James Ogilvy, 3rd Earl of Findlater, and Lady Anne Montgomerie. He was elected to the Faculty of Advocates in 1685, and was a Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland for Banffshire from 1681 to 1682 and from 1689 to 1695. Findlater was Solicitor General for Scotland from 1693, Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1702 to 1704 and from 1705 to 1708, Secretary of State from 1696 to 1702 and joint secretary from 1704 to 1705.

Findlater was created Viscount Seafield in 1698 and Earl of Seafield in 1701. He was a Commissioner for the Union from 1702 and an active promoter of the Union from 1706. He served as first Lord Chief Baron of the Scottish Court of Exchequer, established by the Act of Union. By 1713 his views on Union had changed and he moved for its repeal. He served as Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland from 1713 to 1714 and sat in the British House of Lords as a Scottish Representative Peer from 1707 to 1710, from 1712 to 1715 and from 1722 to 1730. Findlater was admitted to the Privy Council of Great Britain in 1707 and was appointed Lord Chief Baron in the Court of Exchequer in 1707. In 1711 he succeeded his father as fourth Earl of Findlater.

Lord Findlater married Anne Dunbar, daughter of Sir William Dunbar, 1st Baronet, in 1687. He died in August 1730, aged 66, and was succeeded by his son James Ogilvy.

External links

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Political offices
Preceded by The Earl of Marchmont	Lord Chancellor of Scotland 1702–1704	Succeeded by The Marquess of Tweeddale
Preceded by The Marquess of Tweeddale	Lord Chancellor of Scotland 1705–1708	In abeyance
Preceded by Hugh Campbell	Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland 1713–1714	Succeeded by William Johnstone
Peerage of Scotland
New creation	Earl of Seafield 1701–1730	Succeeded by James Ogilvy
Preceded by James Ogilvy	Earl of Findlater 1711–1730
New creation	Viscount of Seafield 1698–1730