John Maclay, 1st Viscount Muirshiel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Scott Maclay, 1st Viscount Muirshiel, KT, CH, CMG, PC, (October 26, 1905 – August 17, 1992) was a British National Liberal and Scottish Unionist politician, who was Secretary of State for Scotland from 1957 to 1962.
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[edit] Early life
Maclay was the fifth son of James Paton Maclay, 1st Baron Maclay. He was educated at Winchester College in Hampshire and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was bowman in the victorious Cambridge boat in the 1927 Boat Race.
[edit] Political career
In 1940, Maclay was elected in a wartime by-election for the Montrose Burghs constituency. During World War II, he led the British Merchant shipping Mission to Washington, D.C. In 1945, Maclay served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Production.
Maclay retained his Montrose seat at the 1945 general election after which the seat was redrawn. During the 1945-51 Labour government, he led the National Liberals in the House of Commons.
Maclay sat for West Renfrewshire from 1950 to 1964. Churchill made him Minister of Civil Aviation and Minister of Transport (October 31, 1951 - May 7, 1952) then, a Privy Counsellor from 1952.
In the government of Harold Macmillan, Maclay served as Secretary of State for Scotland from January 13, 1957 to July 13, 1962. He was a victim of the 1962 "Night of the Long Knives" when one-third of the Cabinet lost their ministries.
Mackay was created the 1st Viscount Muirshiel in 1964 and received the honour of Knight of the Thistle in 1973. The title of Viscount Muirshiel, however, became extinct upon his death in 1992.
Maclay is buried alongside a number of family members including the Barons Maclay in the Mount Zion Church graveyard in Quarrier's Village near Kilmacolm in his former West Renfrewshire constituency.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Torrance, David, The Scottish Secretaries (Birlinn 2006)
[edit] Source
- Wikipedia + Scottish Parliament
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Kerr |
Member of Parliament for Montrose Burghs 1940–1950 |
Constituency abolished |
| Preceded by Thomas Scollan |
Member of Parliament for West Renfrewshire 1950–1964 |
Succeeded by Norman Buchan |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Alfred Barnes |
Minister of Transport 1951–1952 |
Succeeded by Alan Lennox-Boyd |
| Preceded by The Lord Ogmore |
Minister of Civil Aviation 1951–1952 |
|
| Preceded by James Stuart |
Secretary of State for Scotland 1957–1962 |
Succeeded by Michael Noble |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Viscount Muirshiel 1964–1992 |
Extinct |
