• Source: Scottish Liberal Party

      • The Scottish Liberal Party, the section of the Liberal Party in Scotland, was the dominant political party of Victorian Scotland, and although its importance declined with the rise of the Labour and Unionist parties during the 20th century, it was still a significant, albeit much reduced force when it finally merged with the Social Democratic Party in Scotland, to form the Scottish Liberal Democrats in 1988.
      The party lost its last remaining seats in the UK Parliament in 1945, and continued to decline in popular support in the post war years, with Jo Grimond (who won back Orkney and Shetland in 1950) being the sole Scottish Liberal MP in the House of Commons from 1951 to 1964. The party gained a partial revival in the 1964 general election returning three further MPs; George Mackie, Russell Johnston and Alasdair Mackenzie. A further gain came the following year with David Steel's victory at the Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles by-election. Steel went on to become a pivotal figure in the development of Scottish devolution, in partnership with John Smith, Donald Dewar and other key Labour and Liberal figures.


      Victorian Party


      The Victorian Liberal party in Scotland was not always ideologically unified, and was faced with many internal divisions, particularly amongst the more conservative Whiggish elements of the party who were largely based in Edinburgh and the East, and the more western and Glasgow-based radical Liberals.
      The East and North of Scotland Liberal Association and the West and South West of Scotland Liberal Association were founded in 1877. Early in 1881, they merged, forming the Scottish Liberal Association, led by Gladstone and Adam. A National Liberal Federation of Scotland was founded in April 1886, but merged into the Liberal Association in December.
      The Scottish Women's Liberal Federation was formed in 1891 from regional groups and was led by Anne Lindsay.


      Leadership




      = Chairmen

      =
      1886: Victor Bruce
      1894: Thomas Gibson-Carmichael
      1902: Edward Marjoribanks
      1906: John William Crombie
      1908: Eugene Wason
      1909: George Green
      1910: Eugene Wason
      1912: William Robertson
      1921: Donald Maclean
      1925: John Anthony
      1933: William Baird
      1936: Archibald Sinclair
      1936: Philip Kerr
      1946: Louise Glen-Coats
      1948: Leonard T. M. Gray

      1952: Louise Glen-Coats
      1953: John Gray Wilson
      1954: Charles Hampton Johnston
      1956: John Bannerman
      1965: George Mackie
      1970: Russell Johnston
      1973: Robert L. Smith
      1975: Menzies Campbell
      1977: Terry Grieve
      1980: Fred McDermid
      1982: Ross Finnie
      1986: John Lawrie
      1987: Christopher Mason


      = Presidents

      =
      1880s: John Dalrymple
      1884: Alexander Duff
      1886: Archibald Primrose
      1901: Henry Campbell-Bannerman
      1909: H. H. Asquith
      1928: John Hamilton-Gordon
      1934: Ramsay Muir
      1935: Archibald Sinclair
      1960: Archibald Sinclair and Andrew Murray
      1961: Archibald Sinclair
      1963: Archibald Sinclair and John Bannerman
      1965: John Bannerman
      1969: Ray Bannerman (later Ray Michie)
      1976: Robert L. Smith
      1982: Fred McDermid
      1983: George Mackie


      = Leader

      =
      Until 1973, the party was led by the president.
      Russell Johnston, 1973–1988


      Electoral performance



      This chart shows the electoral results of the Scottish Liberal Party, from its first election in 1859, to its last in 1983. Total number of seats, and vote percentage, is for Scotland only.


      References




      Further reading


      Constitution and rules of the Scottish Liberal Association. Scottish Liberal Association. c. 1800s. p. 8.
      Scottish Liberal Party (1970). Scottish self-government: the views of the Scottish Liberal party. Scottish Liberal Party. ISBN 978-0-902381-04-9.
      Torrance, David (2022). A History of the Scottish Liberals and Liberal Democrats. Edinburgh University Press. p. 240. ISBN 9781399506397.


      External links


      Scottish Liberal Club and Scottish Liberal Party archives, held at the National Library of Scotland

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