Explorer and soldier. Grant was born in Nairn (Highland), the son of the parish minister, and educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen. He joined the British army, serving in India during the Sikh Wars (1849) and the Indian Mutiny (1857-8).
He travelled extensively in East Africa, searching for the source of the Nile with John Hanning Speke (1860-3) and together they traced the river to Lake Victoria (in modern-day Uganda). He kept a record of his journey and published these as A Walk Across Africa (1864). He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1866 in recognition of his exploration. He went on to take part in the British campaign in Abyssinia under Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Napier.
He died in Nairn but lies buried in the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Grant's gazelle (Nanger granti) and the African Milk Bush (Euphorbia grantii) were named in his honour.
