Donald Maclean
Encyclopedia
Sir Donald Charles Hugh Maclean, KBE
, PC (9 January 1864 – 15 June 1932), was a British Liberal
politician. He was Leader of the Opposition
between 1918 and 1920 and served in Ramsay MacDonald
's National Government as President of the Board of Education
between 1931 and his death in June of the following year.
, Bolton
, Lancashire
, Maclean was the eldest son of John Maclean, a cordwainer
originally of Kilmoluag, in the Inner Hebrides
, and his wife Agnes Macmellin.
with practices in Cardiff and Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. A member of the Presbyterian Church of England
, he was vice-president of the Cardiff Free Church Council in 1902-3, and also worked closely with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He was a last-minute choice as one of the Liberal Party
candidates in Bath
at the 1900 general election
, but was defeated at the polls. At the 1906 general election
, he stood again and was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament
for the constituency.
He lost his seat at the January 1910 general election, but moved constituency at the December 1910 general election and was returned for Peebles and Selkirk
, a seat he held until 1918, and then represented Peebles and South Midlothian
between 1918 and 1922 and the Northern Division of Cornwall
between 1929 and 1932.
Maclean was knighted and appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1916, and was Leader of the Liberal Parliamentary Party from 1918 to 1922, as the nominal leader of the Liberal Party
, Herbert Henry Asquith
had lost his seat in the House of Commons
. For two years he also served as Leader of the Opposition, while Labour
had no official leader and Sinn Féin
refused to participate in parliamentary government.
Towards the end of his life, Maclean joined the National Government
headed by Ramsay MacDonald
. He served as President of the Board of Education
from 1931 to 1932, when he died from cardiovascular disease
at the age of sixty-eight.
, Buckinghamshire
. Another of his four sons was the diplomat
and spy
, Donald Duart Maclean.
The following information is incorrect: Vice Admiral Sir Hector Charles Donald was the son of Donald Charles Hugh Maclean DSO, 1875-1909, Captain Royal Scots. See Sir Hector's obituary at
Another son was:
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...
, PC (9 January 1864 – 15 June 1932), was a British Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician. He was Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (UK)
The Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom. There is also a Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords...
between 1918 and 1920 and served in Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
's National Government as President of the Board of Education
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
between 1931 and his death in June of the following year.
Background
Born in FarnworthFarnworth
Farnworth is within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is located southeast of Bolton, 6 miles south-west of Bury , and northwest of Manchester....
, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Maclean was the eldest son of John Maclean, a cordwainer
Cordwainer
A cordwainer is a shoemaker/cobbler who makes fine soft leather shoes and other luxury footwear articles. The word is derived from "cordwain", or "cordovan", the leather produced in Córdoba, Spain. The term cordwainer was used as early as 1100 in England...
originally of Kilmoluag, in the Inner Hebrides
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than...
, and his wife Agnes Macmellin.
Political career
Maclean practised as a solicitorSolicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
with practices in Cardiff and Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. A member of the Presbyterian Church of England
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
, he was vice-president of the Cardiff Free Church Council in 1902-3, and also worked closely with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He was a last-minute choice as one of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidates in Bath
Bath (UK Parliament constituency)
Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, previously of the House of Commons of England. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century...
at the 1900 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, but was defeated at the polls. At the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, he stood again and was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the constituency.
He lost his seat at the January 1910 general election, but moved constituency at the December 1910 general election and was returned for Peebles and Selkirk
Peebles and Selkirk (UK Parliament constituency)
Peebles and Selkirk was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.- Boundaries :...
, a seat he held until 1918, and then represented Peebles and South Midlothian
Peebles and Southern Midlothian (UK Parliament constituency)
Peebles and Southern Midlothian was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1950...
between 1918 and 1922 and the Northern Division of Cornwall
North Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)
North Cornwall is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
between 1929 and 1932.
Maclean was knighted and appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1916, and was Leader of the Liberal Parliamentary Party from 1918 to 1922, as the nominal leader of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
, Herbert Henry Asquith
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
had lost his seat in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. For two years he also served as Leader of the Opposition, while Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
had no official leader and Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
refused to participate in parliamentary government.
Towards the end of his life, Maclean joined the National Government
UK National Government
In the United Kingdom the term National Government is an abstract concept referring to a coalition of some or all major political parties. In a historical sense it usually refers primarily to the governments of Ramsay MacDonald, Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain which held office from 1931...
headed by Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
. He served as President of the Board of Education
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
from 1931 to 1932, when he died from cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease or cardiovascular disease are the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels . While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system , it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis...
at the age of sixty-eight.
Family
Maclean married Gwendolen Margaret Devitt (26 September 1880 - 23 July 1962) daughter of Andrew Devitt (1850–1931) and wife Jane Dales Morrison (1856–1947), on 26 October 1907. They and their eldest son, Ian, are buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church, PennPenn, Buckinghamshire
Penn is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of Beaconsfield and east of High Wycombe...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. Another of his four sons was the diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
, Donald Duart Maclean.
The following information is incorrect: Vice Admiral Sir Hector Charles Donald was the son of Donald Charles Hugh Maclean DSO, 1875-1909, Captain Royal Scots. See Sir Hector's obituary at
Another son was:
- Vice AdmiralVice Admiral (Royal Navy)Vice admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It equates to the NATO rank code OF-8 and is immediately superior to rear admiral and is subordinate to the full admiral rank.The Royal Navy has had vice admirals since at least the 16th century...
Sir Hector Charles Donald Maclean (d. 19 February 2003), married in 1933 Opre Vyvyan (27 September 1910 - 18 August 2010, a descendant of the baronetBaronetA baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
s Vyvyan of TrelowarrenVyvyan familyThe Vyvyans are a prominent Cornish family: they are recorded as landowners in Penwith and Kerrier since the 15th century.The Vyvyan family have had a large estate called Trelowarren in Cornwall for nearly 600 years. They moved to Trelowarren in 1427 from Treviddren, St...
and the GermanGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
FreiherrFreiherrThe German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
en (BaronBaronBaron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
s) von Schmiedern), and had three children:- Charles David Hector Maclean (b. 1 March 1936), married on 20 November 1966 Judith Patricia Maclehose, and had two sons:
- Charles Hector Maclean (b. 7 August 1968)
- James Lachlan Maclean (b. 1970)
- Sara Maclean (b. 19 September 1934), married on 7 May 1955 Major Anthony Michael Everett (1921–2009), the parents of Simon Anthony Cunningham Everett (b. 1956) and actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Rupert James Hector EverettRupert EverettRupert James Hector Everett is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981, when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film Another Country as an openly gay student at an English public school, set in the 1930s...
(b. NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, 29 May 1959) - Katherine Mary Everett (b. 10 May 1937)
- Charles David Hector Maclean (b. 1 March 1936), married on 20 November 1966 Judith Patricia Maclehose, and had two sons:
Sources
- http://www.geneall.net/U/per_page.php?id=97018
- http://worldroots.com/brigitte/famous/r/ruperteverettline.htm