Donald Gelling
Encyclopedia
Donald James Gelling CBE
CP
, CInstSMM (born 5 July 1938) is a Manx
former politician, who is a former Chief Minister of the Isle of Man
who served two terms as Head of the Government.
(5 July) 1938 in Santon
, a village to the south-west of Douglas
. He was apprenticed in engineering from 1954 to 1959 and after National Service in the Royal Air Force
he became a salesman of agricultural machinery and vehicles. He was a general manager of his company from 1969.
His political career began immediately as his National Service ended in 1961 when he was elected as a Santon
Parish Commissioner; he served for 25 years and had five terms as Chairman of the Commissioners. In the Tynwald
election of November 1986 Gelling was elected as Member of the House of Keys
for Malew
and Santon
constituency. Like most political figures in the Isle of Man, Gelling does not belong to any political party and has fought elections as an Independent
on his own personal record and policies.
Gelling served as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry from 1988 to 1989 and was then appointed to the important role of Minister for Treasury. In this role he kept the Isle of Man's status as a 'tax haven
' and moved to build up the financial services sector as Chairman of the Financial Supervision Commission
. After the 1996 general election, Gelling was elected Chief Minister of the Isle of Man
.
In the November 2001 General Election
he was re-elected. He decided to retire from the Chief Ministership the following year and was elected by his Keys colleagues to be a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC). The Legislative Council is the Upper House
of Tynwald
, the Isle of Man
's parliament
. He retained his interest in the financial services industry as the head of Isle of Man Finance, a body set up by the Manx Treasury to promote the industry.
After the sudden resignation of Richard Corkill
on December 2, 2004 in a financial scandal, Gelling was re-elected as Chief Minister on December 14. He stayed in office then for exactly two years before stepping down as Chief Minister after the 2006 General Election. He then stood down as an MLC on 18 January 2007, retiring from politics.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
CP
Captain of the Parish
The Captain of the Parish is an official in each parish in the Isle of Man—formerly the title was Captain of the Parish Militia, but it is now only a titular honour...
, CInstSMM (born 5 July 1938) is a Manx
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
former politician, who is a former Chief Minister of the Isle of Man
Chief Minister of the Isle of Man
The Chief Minister is the executive head of the Isle of Man Government.The office derives from that of Chairman of the Executive Council. Before 1980 the Executive Council was chaired by the Lieutenant Governor, but thereafter the chairman was elected by Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man...
who served two terms as Head of the Government.
Early life and career
Gelling was born on Tynwald DayTynwald Day
Tynwald Day is the National Day of the Isle of Man, usually occurring on 5 July.On this day the Isle's legislature, Tynwald, meets at St John's, instead of its usual meeting place, Douglas. The session is held partly in the Royal Chapel of St John the Baptist and partly in the open air on the...
(5 July) 1938 in Santon
Santon (parish)
Santon is a parish of the Isle of Man. It has an area of approximately eight square miles and is the island's smallest parish, located in the sheading of Middle which is composed of the parishes of Braddan, Marown and Santon. Currently the Captain of the Parish is Donald Gelling.The parish church...
, a village to the south-west of Douglas
Douglas, Isle of Man
right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...
. He was apprenticed in engineering from 1954 to 1959 and after National Service in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
he became a salesman of agricultural machinery and vehicles. He was a general manager of his company from 1969.
His political career began immediately as his National Service ended in 1961 when he was elected as a Santon
Santon (parish)
Santon is a parish of the Isle of Man. It has an area of approximately eight square miles and is the island's smallest parish, located in the sheading of Middle which is composed of the parishes of Braddan, Marown and Santon. Currently the Captain of the Parish is Donald Gelling.The parish church...
Parish Commissioner; he served for 25 years and had five terms as Chairman of the Commissioners. In the Tynwald
Tynwald
The Tynwald , or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.The Houses sit jointly, for...
election of November 1986 Gelling was elected as Member of the House of Keys
House of Keys
The House of Keys is the directly elected lower branch of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council....
for Malew
Malew
Malew is a parish in the Isle of Man. It is in the sheading of Rushen together with the neighbouring parishes of Rushen and Arbory.Malew parish covers an area from Langness Peninsula and Scarlett up to Foxdale, and includes the villages of Ballasalla, St Mark's and Derbyhaven. The area includes...
and Santon
Santon (parish)
Santon is a parish of the Isle of Man. It has an area of approximately eight square miles and is the island's smallest parish, located in the sheading of Middle which is composed of the parishes of Braddan, Marown and Santon. Currently the Captain of the Parish is Donald Gelling.The parish church...
constituency. Like most political figures in the Isle of Man, Gelling does not belong to any political party and has fought elections as an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
on his own personal record and policies.
Gelling served as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry from 1988 to 1989 and was then appointed to the important role of Minister for Treasury. In this role he kept the Isle of Man's status as a 'tax haven
Tax haven
A tax haven is a state or a country or territory where certain taxes are levied at a low rate or not at all while offering due process, good governance and a low corruption rate....
' and moved to build up the financial services sector as Chairman of the Financial Supervision Commission
Financial Supervision Commission
The Financial Supervision Commission The FSC was established in 1983. The Chairman was previously a Member of Tynwald until 2004 when legislation forbid this.-Chairmen:*Col Dr Edgar Mann, 1983-1985*David Cannan MHK, 1987-1989...
. After the 1996 general election, Gelling was elected Chief Minister of the Isle of Man
Chief Minister of the Isle of Man
The Chief Minister is the executive head of the Isle of Man Government.The office derives from that of Chairman of the Executive Council. Before 1980 the Executive Council was chaired by the Lieutenant Governor, but thereafter the chairman was elected by Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man...
.
In the November 2001 General Election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
he was re-elected. He decided to retire from the Chief Ministership the following year and was elected by his Keys colleagues to be a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC). The Legislative Council is the Upper House
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of Tynwald
Tynwald
The Tynwald , or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.The Houses sit jointly, for...
, the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
's parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
. He retained his interest in the financial services industry as the head of Isle of Man Finance, a body set up by the Manx Treasury to promote the industry.
After the sudden resignation of Richard Corkill
Richard Corkill
Richard Kenneth Corkill was the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, December 2001 to December 2004. He was born in Douglas, Isle of Man. He was elected by Tynwald with 21 votes, defeating Edgar Quine, who received 10 votes....
on December 2, 2004 in a financial scandal, Gelling was re-elected as Chief Minister on December 14. He stayed in office then for exactly two years before stepping down as Chief Minister after the 2006 General Election. He then stood down as an MLC on 18 January 2007, retiring from politics.