1801. He received a commission as a full colonel in the British Army in 1809 on appointment as Lord Lieutenant of Inverness-shire. Meanwhile, 'Colonel Grant', as he was known, entered Parliament and followed a political path. In 1802 'Colonel Grant' was elected to the House of Commons for Elgin Burghs, a seat he held until 1806, and then represented Inverness Burghs from 1806 to 1807, Elginshire from 1807 to 1832 and Elginshire and Nairnshire from 1832 to 1840. In 1840 he succeeded his elder brother as sixth Earl of Seafield, and sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish Representative Peer from 1841 until his death in 1853. He therefore attended Parliament for a period of 50 years, voting against the Reform Act of 1832 while sitting in the Commons. Sir William Fraser reported, "In politics his Lordship was a Conservative, and during his long public career loyally supported his party. He was a warm supporter of Sir Robert Peel." A member of the Church of Scotland, Sir Francis William was an ordained elder sitting in the Presbytery of Abernethy, which he also for many years represented in the General Assembly. As a proprietor Lord Seafield was noted for tree-planting. Sir William Fraser wrote that:He was known as the largest planter of trees in Britain ... the annals of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland recording that in 1847, that at that date 31,686,482 young trees, Scotch firs, larch, and hardwoods, had been planted under the Earl's direction over an area of 8223 acres.... For these plantations, which were effected in the districts of Cullen, Moray, Strathspey, and Glen Urquhart, the Highland Society awarded to the Earl their gold medal. Living mainly in Cullen House, his taste for ornamental landscape resulted in remodelling of the house, grounds and nearby town, as well as improvements to other towns within his estates. In 1826, at Duthil, Lord Seafield instructed the rebuilding of the Parish Church and the erection of the Seafield Mausoleum. In 1836 he gave access to his lands to representatives of the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Land Company and expressed his opinion that some of the people of Urquhart might usefully emigrate. References External links Clan Grant: http://www.clangrant.org Seafield Estate: http://www.seafield-estate.co.uk Seafield, Francis Ogilvy-Grant, 6th Earl of Seafield, Francis Ogilvy-Grant, 6th Earl of Earls of Seafield Seafield, Francis Ogilvy-Grant, 6th Earl of Members of the Parliament of