The first President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Duke Henry was the son of the Earl of Dalkeith and succeeded to the Dukedom in 1751, a year after his father's death. After schooling at Eton he was tutored by Adam Smith with whom he and his brother, the Honourable Campbell Scott, left for a tour of the Continent in 1764. This ended in tragedy when the younger brother was assassinated on the streets of Paris in October 1766. On returning to Scotland the Duke devoted himself to administering his estates to which were added, towards the end of his life, the lands in Dumfriesshire associated with the Queensberry title to which he succeeded in 1810. His extensive power of patronage, coupled with his active interest in affairs, made Duke Henry one of the most influential men in Scotland during the 'Dundas despotism'.