Robert Bontine Cunninghame
Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham (1852-1936) was a notable figure of Scottish and Spanish descent, born in London. He hailed from a distinguished family, with a father who was a Scottish laird and a mother with ties to Spanish aristocracy. After receiving education at Harrow and in Brussels, he ventured to Argentina to engage in cattle ranching, but due to civil war, he shifted his focus to extensive travel across South America, earning the endearing nickname Don Roberto. Cunninghame Graham's life was marked by his marriage to Gabriela Marie de la Balmondiere, though her true identity was revealed posthumously.
In the political arena, he served as a liberal Member of Parliament for Lanarkshire from 1886 to 1892, co-founding the Scottish Labor Party and advocating for a range of progressive causes, including women's suffrage and Irish home rule. A prolific writer, he authored numerous nonfiction works, essays, and collections of short stories, and maintained correspondence with prominent literary figures of his time. He later helped establish the Scottish National Party, serving as its first president in 1934. Cunninghame Graham's adventurous spirit and literary contributions left a lasting impact, and he was laid to rest in Scotland after his death in Buenos Aires. A monument in his honor was erected in Dumbarton in 1937.
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Subject Terms
Robert Bontine Cunninghame
Writer
- Born: May 24, 1852
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: March 20, 1936
- Place of death: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Biography
Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham was born of Scottish and Spanish ancestry on May 24, 1852, in London, England. His father, William Cumminghame Graham, was a Scottish laird and a major in the Scots Greys; his mother, Anne Elizabeth Elphinstone Fleeming Bontine, was the daughter of Admiral Charles Elphinstone-Fleeming and Spanish aristocrat Catalina Paulina Alessandro de Jiménez. Young Cunninghame Graham spent much of his childhood at his family’s estate, Gartmore, and at his grandmother’s home on the Isle of Wight, where he learned Spanish.
Cunninghame Graham was educated at Harrow and in Brussels, Belgium, and then sailed to Argentina to become a partner in a cattle ranching venture. However, civil war disrupted his business plans, and he embarked instead on extensive travels throughout South America, in the process acquiring the affectionate nickname Don Roberto. In 1879, Cunninghame Graham married purported Chilean writer, artist, mystic, and botanist Gabriela Marie de la Balmondiere; in 1986, eighty years after her death, it was discovered she was actually Caroline Horsfal, the daughter of a doctor from Yorkshire, England, who had run away from home.
Several years after his marriage, his father died, leaving the family in debt and necessitating the sale of the family estate. Cunninghame Graham returned to England, where from 1886 to 1892 he served as a liberal member of Parliament for Lanarkshire, in the process cofounding the Scottish Labor Party and serving as its first president in 1888. A socialist, Cunninghame Graham supported women’s suffrage, worker’s rights, Irish home rule, and other political causes. During his political career, he began writing, turning out such nonfiction works as The Nail and Chainmakers and Economic Evolution.
After leaving Parliament, Cunninghame Graham again took up travel, returning often to South America and venturing to the North American, European, and African continents. In the course of his travels, he operated a fencing academy in Mexico City, worked as a journalist in Texas, and was an interpreter, horse trainer, and gaucho. His writing output also increased, and he published many books focusing on travel and history after 1895.
Beginning in 1898, he also produced numerous collections of short stories and several collections of essays. An inveterate letter writer, he corresponded with some of the most popular writers of the era, including George Bernard Shaw, Joseph Conrad, Ford Madox Ford, John Galsworthy, G. K. Chesterton, and W. H. Hudson. He also contributed countless introductions and prefaces to the works of others.
Late in life, Cunninghame Graham resumed political activities, helping to found the Scottish National Party and serving as its first president in 1934. World traveler, adventurer, raconteur, wit, politician, and prolific writer, Cunninghame Graham died on March 20, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and his body was returned to Scotland for burial beside his beloved wife. The following year, a monument in his honor was unveiled in Dumbarton.