entail of William 12th Earl of Glencairn, he assumed the name and arms of Cunninghame, in addition to those of Graham, on the death in 1796 of Maj. Gen. John Cunninghame, 15th Earl of Glencairn and last in line. From him Robert inherited the Finlaystone estate, so that he is often known as Robert Cunninghame Graham of Gartmore and Finlaystone. At his death, his estates stretched from Perthshire (Gartmore & Kippen), through Dunbartonshire (Galingad & Ardoch) and across the Clyde to Renfrewshire (Finlaystone); in addition he held the lands of Lochwood in Lanarkshire and his Jamaican plantation at Roaring River. Political career Graham was elected a Member of Parliament, representing Stirlingshire, in 1794. He was a pro-Jacobin of that time, and identified as a Radical. During his time in the House he attempted to introduce a Bill of Rights which foreshadowed the Reform Bill of 1832. He was a close friend of Thomas Sheridan, Charles James Fox, Sir Thomas Dundas (later 1st Baron Dundas) and the poet Hector McNeil. Graham was appointed Rector of the University of Glasgow, holding the position from 1785 to 1787, in which year he instituted the Gartmore Gold Medal (awarded biennially) for the best discourse by a student on political liberty. Death and legacy In later life he suffered from frequent bouts of gout in the organs. He died at Gartmore on 4 December 1797 and was interred in the Gartmore family burial ground. Robert Burns – whose patron James, 14th Earl of Glencairn, was Graham's first cousin – writing to the Edinburgh bookseller, Mr Hill, describes Graham as: "...the noblest instance of great talents, great fortune and great worth that ever I saw in conjunction." Descendants Graham's great-great-grandson, Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham was a writer, journalist and adventurer. He was also a notable politician, being a Liberal Party MP. and a founder of both the Scottish Labour Party and the National Party of Scotland. His great-great-great-grandson, Admiral Sir Angus Edward Malise Bontine Cunninghame Graham of Gartmore and Ardoch KBE CB was Royal Navy Flag Officer, Scotland. He was nephew and heir to Robert Bontine Cunningham Graham. Footnotes References R. B. Cunninghame Graham, (1925) Doughty Deeds, an account of the life of Robert Graham of Gartmore, poet and politician, 1735–1797 London: William Heinemann Ltd. Joseph Foster. (1882) Members of Parliament, Scotland, including the minor barons, the commissioners for the shires, and the commissioners for the