David Lindsay, 28th Earl of Crawford

David Alexander Robert Lindsay, 28th Earl of Crawford and 11th Earl of Balcarres KT GBE DL (20 November 1900 – 13 December 1975), known as Lord Balniel from 1913 to 1940, was a British Unionist politician.

Lindsay was the eldest son of the 27th Earl of Crawford and 10th Earl of Balcarres and his wife, Constance. He was educated at Eton, graduated from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1922 and entered the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for Lonsdale two years later, at the 1924 general election. He held his seat until he succeeded to his father's titles in May 1940 and was also Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1924 and to the Ministry of Health from 1931-40.

In 1951, Lord Crawford was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire for his services to the Arts, having been a trustee of the Tate Gallery from 1932–37, the National Gallery from 1935–41, 1945–52 and 1953–60, the British Museum from 1940–73 and a member of the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries from 1937–52, Chairman of the Trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland from 1952–72, the Royal Fine Arts Commission from 1943–57 and the Trustees of the National Library of Scotland in 1944. He was further awarded the Thistle in 1955 for his time spent as Rector of the University of St Andrews from 1952-55.

On 9 December 1925, Lord Crawford had married Mary Katherine Cavendish (the third daughter of Lord Richard Frederick Cavendish) and they had three sons:

• Robert Alexander, later 29th Earl of Crawford and 12th Earl of Balcarres (b. 1927)
• Hon. Patrick Lindsay (1928–1986)
• Hon. Thomas Richard Lindsay (b. 1937)

Lord Crawford died in 1975, aged 75, and his titles passed to his eldest son, Robert.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Crawford