Peter St John, 9th Earl of Orkney
Oliver Peter St John, 9th Earl of Orkney is a retired Canadian political scientist and Scottish peer.
He inherited the Earldom of Orkney in 1998 and briefly had a right to a seat in the House of Lords until the House of Lords Act 1999 came into effect.
Early life
Orkney is the son of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Oliver St John, whose parents were Sir Frederic Robert St John and his wife Isabella Annie FitzMaurice, a granddaughter of the 5th Earl of Orkney.Born in Victoria, British Columbia, he was educated Woodbridge School in England, the University of Lausanne, studying French language & literature, the University of British Columbia, graduating BA in Political Studies in 1960, and the London School of Economics, graduating MA in International Relations in 1963. He went on to gain a PhD in International Relations from the University of London. In 1958 he was recognized as International Student of the Year.
Career
In his academic career, St. John was a lecturer at University College London, England, before moving to the University of Manitoba, Canada, where he rose to become professor of political studies. He retired from academia in 1998, the year he succeeded to the Earldom of Orkney, and was appointed a senior scholar by Manitoba.He inherited the earldom after his father's maternal relative Cecil FitzMaurice, 8th Earl of Orkney died childless in 1998 and briefly had a right to a seat in the House of Lords until the House of Lords Act 1999 came into effect.