James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale
| The Earl of Lauderdale | |
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| Earl of Lauderdale | |
| Reign | 17 August 1789 – 10 September 1839 |
| Predecessor | James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale |
| Successor | James Maitland, 9th Earl of Lauderdale |
| Born | 26 January 1759 |
| Died | 10 September 1839 (aged 80) |
| Spouse | Eleanor Todd |
| Father | James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale |
James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale KT PC (26 January 1759 – 10 September 1839) was Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland and a representative peer for Scotland in the House of Lords.
Born at Haltoun House near Ratho, the eldest son and heir of James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale, whom he succeeded in 1789, he became a controversial Scottish politician and writer. His tutor had been the learned Dr. Andrew Dalzell and James Maitland then attended the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, completing his education in Paris where, it is said, he became radicalised.
Upon his return home in 1780, he was admitted a member of the Faculty of Advocates and successfully stood for election to parliament the same year. From 1780 until 1784 he was a Member of Parliament representing Newport and from 1784 to 1789, Malmesbury. In the House of Commons he supported the prominent Whig Charles Fox and took an active part in debate and was one of the managers of the Impeachment of Warren Hastings.
From 1789, in the House of Lords, where he was a representative peer for Scotland, he was prominent as an opponent of the policy of William Pitt the Younger and the English government with regard to France. He was a frequent speaker and also distinguished himself by his active opposition to the Habeas Corpus Suspension Act, the Sedition Bill, and other measures. Upon the outbreak of the French Revolution, of which he was thought to be in sympathy, he ostentatiously appeared in the house in the rough costume of Jacobinism.
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