the sixth of the surviving sons of Thomas Cochrane, 8th Earl of Dundonald. The eldest son Archibald Cochrane became the earl and lost the family lands on a series of inventions and investments. Many of the younger sons served in the military or had careers supplying it. The next brother, Charles, served in the army and was killed at the Siege of Yorktown; he had married to Catherine, the daughter of Major John Pitcairn. The third surviving son, John Cochrane, was a paymaster and provisioner to the army and navy. His children included Nathaniel Day Cochrane, who became a rear admiral, and probably the chess player John Cochrane. The next son, Basil Cochrane, made a fortune supplying the Royal Navy in India. Alexander was the sixth son. The seventh, George Augustus Frederick Cochrane, had an army career and served in Parliament. The youngest son, Andrew Cochrane-Johnstone, was an army officer, colonial governor, politician, and fraudster. The Earl of St. Vincent wrote of the Cochrane brothers in 1806, "The Cochranes are not to be trusted out of sight, they are all mad, romantic, money-getting and not truth-telling—and there is not a single exception in any part of the family." Legacy Namesake of Admiral Rock, Nova Scotia References Bibliography Anderson, William. (1862). The Scottish Nation: Or The Surnames, Families, Literature, Honours, and Biographical History of the People of Scotland. Fullarton. External links Significant Scots: Sir Alexander Cochrane – Biography from ElectricScotland.com |- |- |- |- 1758 births 1832 deaths Royal Navy admirals Scottish sailors Royal Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Scottish Episcopalians Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Younger sons of earls History of Îles des Saintes Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Alexander Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Stirling constituencies British MPs 1796–1800 UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806