Secretary of State for Scotland

Not to be confused with Secretary of State, Scotland.

Secretary of State for Scotland
Arms of Her Majesty's Government
Incumbent David Mundell since 8 May 2015
Scotland Office
Style	The Right Honourable
Appointer	Elizabeth II
Inaugural holder	The Earl of Mar
Formation	3 February 1705
Website	Scotland Office

Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba, Scots: Secretar o State for Scotland) is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland representing Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office (formerly the Scottish Office), a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was abolished in 1746, following the Jacobite rebellion. Scottish affairs thereafter were managed by the Lord Advocate until 1827, when responsibility passed to the Home Office.

In 1885 the post of Secretary for Scotland was re-created, with the incumbent usually (though not always) in the Cabinet. In 1926 this post was upgraded to a full Secretary of State appointment.

The 1999 Scottish devolution has meant the Scottish Office's powers were divided, with most transferred to the Scottish Government or to other UK Government departments, leaving only a limited role for the Scotland Office. Consequently, the role of Secretary of State for Scotland has been diminished. A recent Scottish Secretary, Des Browne, held the post whilst simultaneously being Secretary of State for Defence. The current Secretary of State for Scotland is David Mundell.

Secretaries of State for Scotland 1707–1746

John Erskine, 22nd Earl of Mar had served as Secretary of State of an independent Scotland since 1705. Following the Acts of Union 1707, he remained in office.

The post of Secretary of State for Scotland existed briefly after the Union of the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England in 1707 till the Jacobite rising of 1745. After the rising, responsibility for Scotland lay primarily with the office of the Home Secretary, usually exercised by the Lord Advocate.

Name	Portrait	Term of office
The Earl of Mar		(since 1705) 1 May 1707	3 February 1709
The Duke of Queensberry		3 February 1709	6 July 1711 (died)
The Earl of Mar		30 September 1713	24 September 1714
The Duke of Montrose		24 September 1714	August 1715 (resigned)
The Duke of Roxburghe		13 December 1716	August 1725 (resigned)
Office thereafter vacant. One reference book claims that Charles Douglas, 2nd Earl of Selkirk held this office from 1731, but there is no other authority for this claim.
The Marquess of Tweeddale		16 February 1742	3 January 1746 (resigned)

Office thereafter vacant.

Secretaries and Secretaries of State for Scotland

The Secretary for Scotland was chief minister in charge of the Scottish Office in the United Kingdom government. 1885 saw the creation of the Scottish Office and the post of Secretary for Scotland. From 1892 the Secretary for Scotland sat in cabinet. The Secretary for Scotland post was upgraded to full Secretary of State rank as Secretary of State for Scotland in 1926. All Secretaries for Scotland also held the post of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, ex officio.

The post of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland was held ex officio by Secretaries of State for Scotland from 1926 to 1999. Secretaries of State for Scotland since Donald Dewar have not been Keepers of the Great Seal, that post now being held by the First Ministers of Scotland. In addition, the holder of the office of Secretary of State for Scotland from 13 June 2003 through to 3 October 2008 concurrently held another Cabinet post, leading to claims that the Scottish role was seen as a 'part-time' ministry.

Colour key (for political parties):
  Conservative / Conservative & Unionist   Unionist   Liberal   Labour   National Labour   National Liberal   Liberal Democrats   No party

Secretaries for Scotland (1885–1926)
Name		Portrait	Term of office		Political party	Prime Minister
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	The Duke of Richmond		17 August 1885	28 January 1886	Conservative	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	The Marquess of Salisbury
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	George Trevelyan		8 February 1886	March, 1886 (resigned)	Liberal	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	William Ewart Gladstone
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	The Earl of Dalhousie		5 April 1886	20 July 1886	Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Arthur Balfour		5 August 1886	11 March 1887	Conservative	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	The Marquess of Salisbury
style="background-color: Template:Unionist Party (Scotland)/meta/color" |	The Marquess of Lothian		11 March 1887	11 August 1892	Unionist
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Sir George Trevelyan, Bt		18 August 1892	21 June 1895	Liberal	style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	William Ewart Gladstone
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |						The Earl of Rosebery
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Unionist Party (Scotland)/meta/color" |	The Lord Balfour of Burleigh		29 June 1895	9 October 1903 (resigned)	Unionist	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	The Marquess of Salisbury (Unionist Coalition)
rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |						Arthur Balfour (Unionist Coalition)
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Andrew Murray		9 October 1903	2 February 1905	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	The Marquess of Linlithgow		2 February 1905	4 December 1905	Conservative
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	John Sinclair (Baron Pentland from 1909)		10 December 1905	13 February 1912	Liberal	style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
rowspan=4 style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |						H. H. Asquith
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Thomas McKinnon Wood		13 February 1912	9 July 1916	Liberal
H. H. Asquith (Coalition)
	style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Harold Tennant		9 July 1916	5 December 1916	Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Robert Munro		10 December 1916	19 October 1922	Liberal	style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	David Lloyd George (Coalition)
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color" |	The Viscount Novar		24 October 1922	22 January 1924	none	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Andrew Bonar Law
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |						Stanley Baldwin
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	William Adamson		22 January 1924	3 November 1924	Labour	style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Ramsay MacDonald
style="background-color: Template:Unionist Party (Scotland)/meta/color" |	Sir John Gilmour, Bt		6 November 1924	26 July 1926	Unionist	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Stanley Baldwin
Secretaries of State for Scotland (1926–present)
Name		Portrait	Term of office		Political party	Prime Minister
style="background-color: Template:Unionist Party (Scotland)/meta/color" |	Sir John Gilmour, Bt		15 July 1926	4 June 1929	Unionist	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Stanley Baldwin
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	William Adamson		7 June 1929	24 August 1931	Labour	style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Ramsay MacDonald
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Sir Archibald Sinclair, Bt		25 August 1931	28 September 1932 (resigned)	Liberal	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:National Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Ramsay MacDonald (1st & 2nd National Min.)
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)/meta/color" |	Sir Godfrey Collins		28 September 1932	29 October 1936	National Liberal
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |						Stanley Baldwin (3rd National Min.)
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Unionist Party (Scotland)/meta/color" |	Walter Elliot	File:Walter Elliot Elliot.jpg	29 October 1936	16 May 1938	Unionist
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |						Neville Chamberlain (4th National Min.; War Coalition)
style="background-color: Template:Unionist Party (Scotland)/meta/color" |	John Colville		6 May 1938	10 May 1940	Unionist
style="background-color: Template:National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)/meta/color" |	Ernest Brown	File:Ernest Brown MP.jpg	14 May 1940	8 February 1941	National Liberal	rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Winston Churchill (War Coalition)
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Thomas Johnston		8 February 1941	23 May 1945	Labour
style="background-color: Template:National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)/meta/color" |	The Earl of Rosebery		25 May 1945	26 July 1945	National Liberal	Winston Churchill (Caretaker Min.)
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Joseph Westwood		3 August 1945	7 October 1947	Labour	rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Clement Attlee
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Arthur Woodburn		7 October 1947	28 February 1950	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Hector McNeil		28 February 1950	26 October 1951	Labour
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Unionist Party (Scotland)/meta/color" |	James Stuart		30 October 1951	13 January 1957	Unionist	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Sir Winston Churchill
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |						Sir Anthony Eden
style="background-color: Template:Unionist Party (Scotland)/meta/color" |	John Maclay		13 January 1957	13 July 1962	Unionist	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Harold Macmillan
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Unionist Party (Scotland)/meta/color" |	Michael Noble		13 July 1962	16 October 1964	Unionist
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |						Sir Alec Douglas-Home
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Willie Ross		18 October 1964	19 June 1970	Labour	style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Harold Wilson
style="background-color: Template:Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party/meta/color" |	Gordon Campbell		20 June 1970	4 March 1974	Conservative and Unionist	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Edward Heath
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Willie Ross		5 March 1974	8 April 1976	Labour	style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Harold Wilson
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Bruce Millan		8 April 1976	4 May 1979	Labour	style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	James Callaghan
style="background-color: Template:Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party/meta/color" |	George Younger		5 May 1979	11 January 1986	Conservative and Unionist	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Margaret Thatcher
style="background-color: Template:Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party/meta/color" |	Malcolm Rifkind		11 January 1986	28 November 1990	Conservative and Unionist
style="background-color: Template:Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party/meta/color" |	Ian Lang		28 November 1990	5 July 1995	Conservative and Unionist	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	John Major
style="background-color: Template:Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party/meta/color" |	Michael Forsyth		5 July 1995	2 May 1997	Conservative and Unionist
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Donald Dewar		3 May 1997	17 May 1999 (became First Minister of Scotland)	Labour	rowspan=5 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Tony Blair
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	John Reid		17 May 1999	25 January 2001	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Helen Liddell		25 January 2001	13 June 2003	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Alistair Darling (also Secretary of State for Transport)		13 June 2003	5 May 2006	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Douglas Alexander (also Secretary of State for Transport)		5 May 2006	27 June 2007	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Des Browne (also Secretary of State for Defence)		28 June 2007	3 October 2008	Labour	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Gordon Brown
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Jim Murphy		3 October 2008	11 May 2010	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats/meta/color" |	Danny Alexander		11 May 2010	29 May 2010	Liberal Democrats	rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	David Cameron (Coalition)
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats/meta/color" |	Michael Moore		29 May 2010	7 October 2013	Liberal Democrats
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats/meta/color" |	Alistair Carmichael		7 October 2013	8 May 2015	Liberal Democrats
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	David Mundell		11 May 2015	Incumbent	Conservative	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	David Cameron (II)

See also

• First Minister of Scotland
• Secretary of State, Scotland, a senior post in the pre-Union government of Scotland
• Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, junior minister supporting the Secretary of State for Scotland
• Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
• Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
• Secretary of State for Wales

External links

• Official website of the Scotland Office