Roy Hendry Thomson

Roy Hendry Thomson KStJ, DL, MA, MLitt (27 August 1932 – 29 November 2009) was a businessman, public servant and political activist, based in Aberdeen.

Early and personal life

Thomson attended Aberdeen Grammar School and gained an MA (honours) in psychology from the University of Aberdeen in 1955, later joining the British Psychological Society. He married Nancy in 1952 and they had three children. He attended national service in the Gordon Highlanders between 1955 and 1957. He was a Knight of the Order of St John and a Deputy Lieutenant of the City of Aberdeen until August 2007. He also received an MLitt in 2009, writing his thesis on the contribution made by the Scottish Constitutional Convention to the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament. He was an avid skier and hill-walker.

Business

Between 1960 and 1988, Thomson and his family owned a series of well-known car dealerships throughout the North East of Scotland, known as Thomson of Cults.

Political activity

Thomson was a long-standing and senior member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats and, before that, the Scottish Liberal Party. He was an elected local councillor on Aberdeen District Council, later becoming the first Liberal Leader of the Council. He also acted as the election agent for Malcolm Bruce MP in the Gordon constituency in 1979 and 1983. He was also active within the Party nationally, serving as both Chairman and later President of the Party, presiding over the Party during the 1999 Scottish Parliament elections and its entry into Government for the first time since the wartime coalition under Winston Churchill. At the time of his death, he was (for the second time) serving as Scotland's representative on the Party's UK-wide Executive Committee.

Other public and community service

• Former Chairman of Scottish Ballet (1983–1987)
• Former Member, the Broadcasting Council for Scotland
• Former President and Founder of Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Association
• Former President of the Rotary Club of Aberdeen
• Former Marketing Director of Aberdeen International Youth Festival
• Former Chairman of Aberdeen International Children's Festival (aka Kaleidoscope)
• President of Mental Health Aberdeen
• Chairman, Friends of Aberdeen University Library

References

• Notice of death in the Aberdeen Press and Journal
• Obituary in The Scotsman, 10 December 2009