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.
14-567: 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
28-599: The Rectorships of the University of Edinburgh and the University of Aberdeen and the Chancellorship of the University of Kent at Canterbury ( elected in 1970 ). His many books include The Liberal Future (1959, credited with reinvigorating radical liberalism as a coherent modern ideology), The Liberal Challenge (1963), and Memoirs (1979). He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1983 when he
42-527: The Liberals almost succeeded in capturing Blackpool North , West Derbyshire and Chippenham from the Conservatives and Paisley and Leicester North East from Labour. Grimond's dynamic and principled leadership proved attractive to many young aspiring politicians, including John Pardoe and three future party leaders, David Steel , Paddy Ashdown and Sir Menzies Campbell . In 1967, having led
56-469: The daughter of the influential Liberal politician and peer Violet Asquith (1887–1969) and her politician and civil servant husband, Maurice Bonham Carter . Laura Grimond was also the sister of another life peer, Mark Bonham Carter (1922–1994), who won the 1958 by-election at Torrington . The couple had four children: Grimond was also a prolific writer of pamphlets: see the McManus biography (below) for
70-532: 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. The Victorian Liberal party in Scotland was not always ideologically unified, and was faced with many internal divisions, particularly amongst
84-679: 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
98-513: The party through three general elections, he made way for a younger leader, the charismatic Jeremy Thorpe . In 1976, when Thorpe was forced to resign because of a scandal , Grimond stepped in as interim leader until the election of a replacement, David Steel . Among other posts, Grimond was a barrister and publisher in the 1930s, an army major during World War II , Secretary of the National Trust for Scotland from 1947 to 1949, and held
112-507: The time he left the leadership in 1967, the Liberals had once again become a notable political force. It was during his tenure that the first post-war Liberal revival took place: under Grimond's leadership, the Liberals doubled their seat tally and won historic by-elections at Torrington in 1958 (the first by-election gain by the Liberal Party for 29 years), Orpington in 1962 , and Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles in 1965 . In 1961-2,
126-493: The vote. The party Grimond inherited from former leader Clement Davies had commanded barely 2.5% of the vote at the general election of 1955, but even that figure amounted to a modest revival in Liberal Party fortunes compared with 1951. This progress increased under the leadership of Grimond who proved himself to be a man of considerable personal charm and intelligence, with substantial gifts as public speaker and as an author. Widely respected as well as trusted, he ensured that by
140-573: Was a British politician, leader of the Liberal Party for eleven years from 1956 to 1967 and again briefly on an interim basis in 1976. Grimond was a long-term supporter of Scottish home rule ; and, during his leadership, he successfully advocated for the Liberal Party to support the abolition of Britain's nuclear arsenal. Grimond was born in St Andrews , Fife, to jute manufacturer Joseph Bowman Grimond and Helen Lydia, née Richardson. He
154-527: Was educated at Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford . He was at school and university with, among others, cricket commentator Brian Johnston and playwright William Douglas-Home . He received a first-class honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics . He later became a barrister , being admitted to the bar as a member of Middle Temple . After serving as a major in World War II , he
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#1732791204423168-823: 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 . 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. Jo Grimond Joseph Grimond, Baron Grimond , CH , CBE , TD , PC ( / ˈ ɡ r ɪ m ə n d / ; 29 July 1913 – 24 October 1993)
182-587: Was selected by the Liberal Party to contest Orkney and Shetland , the most northerly constituency in the United Kingdom. He narrowly missed capturing the seat in 1945 but won it at the 1950 general election . The Liberals and their successors, the Liberal Democrats, have retained the seat continuously to the present day. Grimond continued to represent the constituency until he retired from politics in 1983 , and regularly polled more than 60% of
196-612: Was surprised by Eamonn Andrews . Upon leaving the House of Commons , he was created a life peer as Baron Grimond , of Firth in the County of Orkney on 12 October 1983. He remained devoted to his former parliamentary constituency, and was buried in Finstown on Orkney . In 1938, Grimond married liberal politician Laura Bonham Carter (1918–1994). His wife was the granddaughter of the former Liberal Prime Minister H. H. Asquith , and
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