Apart from his political and administrative career Lord Reay was
Rector of St Andrews University from 1884 to 1886, Chairman of the
London School Board (1897–1904), President of the
Royal Asiatic Society (1893–1921) and
University College, London, and the first President of the
British Academy from 1902 to 1907. He was also
Lord Lieutenant of Roxburghshire from 1892 to 1918 and served as
President of the first day of the 1882
Co-operative Congress. He was sworn of the
Privy Council in 1906 and made a
Knight of the Thistle in 1911. He received an honorary doctorate (
LL.D) from the
University of Glasgow during their 450th jubilee celebrations in June 1901. He remained in contact with the Dutch community and attended the reception and spoke with the famous Dutch writer
Louis Couperus (1863–1923) on the occasion of his visit to London in June 1921, being invited by the Dutch ambassador in London,
René de Marees van Swinderen (1860–1955), and which visit was mainly organised by his translator
Alexander Teixeira de Mattos (1865–1921). ==Family==