LOUDOUN, JOHN CAMPBELL, 1ST EARL OF (1598— 1663), Scottish politician, eldest son of Sir James Campbell of Lawers, became Baron Loudoun in right of his wife Margaret, granddaughter of Hugh Campbell, ist Baron Loudoun (d. 1622). With John Leslie, 6th earl of Rothes, he took part in the pro mulgation of the Covenant and in the General Assembly at Glasgow in 1638. He served under Gen. Leslie, and was one of the Scottish commissioners at the Pacification of Berwick in June 1639. In November of that year and again in 1640 the Scottish estates sent Loudoun with Charles Seton, 2nd earl of Dunfermline, to London on an embassy to Charles I. Loudoun intrigued with the French ambassador, and was sent to the Tower. He was released in June, and two months later he re-entered England with the Scottish invading army, and was one of the commis sioners at Ripon in October.
In the following August (1641) Loudoun was made lord chan cellor of Scotland, and his title of earl of Loudoun (granted in 1633, but stopped in chancery), was allowed. He also became first
commissioner of the treasury. He was constantly employed in negotiations in England, and in 1647 was sent to Charles at Carisbrooke castle, but the "engagement" to assist the king there made displeased the extreme Covenanters, and Loudoun was obliged to retract his support of it. He was now entirely on the side of the duke of Argyll and the preachers. He assisted in the capacity of lord chancellor at Charles II.'s coronation at Scone, and was present at Dunbar. He joined in the royalist rising of 1653, but eventually surrendered to Gen. Monk. His estates were forfeited by Cromwell, and a sum of money settled on the countess and her heirs. At the Restoration he was removed from the chancellorship. He died in Edinburgh on March 15, 1663.