Alfred Lawrie (1882–1942) was a Scottish

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player and an international referee. He became the 57th

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the

Scottish Rugby Union The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; gd, Aonadh Rugbaidh na h-Alba) is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Styled as Scottish Rugby, it is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league s ...

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

He was educated at

Fettes College Fettes College () is a co-educational independent boarding and day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, with over two-thirds of its pupils in residence on campus. The school was originally a boarding school for boys only and became co-ed in 1983. In ...

and Oxford University. At Oxford's Trinity College he played for the rugby union team

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, receiving his first 'blue' on 1903. On his return to Scotland, Lawrie played for

Edinburgh Wanderers Edinburgh Wanderers is a former rugby union club, founded in 1868. It was latterly a tenant of the Scottish Rugby Union, playing home fixtures at Murrayfield Stadium for nearly 75 years. In 1997 it merged with Murrayfield RFC to form Murrayfie ...

Referee career

He refereed the

Scotland Probables Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

versus Scotland Possibles match in December 1923. He became an international referee. He refereed the Ireland versus France match in the Five Nations Championship of 1926. Lawrie refereed in the 1926

Melrose Sevens Melrose Sevens is an annual rugby sevens event held by Melrose Rugby Club, at The Greenyards in Melrose, Scotland. It is the oldest rugby sevens competition in the world, dating back to 1883 when the tournament was suggested by former Melrose ...

Administrative career

He was a committee member of the SRU before becoming President. He was the 57th President of the Scottish Rugby Union, in post from 1936 to 1938. His time as President was notable as he gave comprehensive statements to the Press after General Meetings of the SRU. This was reported as a 'revolutionary break with tradition' for the SRU.

Cricket career

He played cricket both for Fettes College and Trinity College in Oxford.

Stockbroking and business career

He was a senior partner in the firm Lawrie & Ker of Edinburgh. In 1925, he became a member of the Edinburgh Stock Exchange Committee; in 1931 he was elected its chairman. He held many directorships of various companies:- the first, second and third Edinburgh Investment Trusts; Murrayfield Ice Rink and Sports Stadium; Oregon Mortgage Company; Realisation and Debenture Corporation of Scotland; the Scottish Insurance Corporation; and the Scottish Reversionary Company. He was the Chairman of Rest Hotels; and the St. Andrews Trust. He was a Vice-President of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce until 10 days before his death, when he retired due to ill-health.

Other interests

He wrote a register of Fettes College in 1923; 'The Fettes College Register 1870–1922'. He was a Governor of the Fettes Trust. He refereed the College Sports Day in 1922. During the Second World War he joined the Special Constabulary. He also did philanthropic work with the Church of Scotland for the Hut and Canteen work for H.M. armed forces; and was an elder of St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. He was a Chairman of the West Edinburgh Unionist Association. He was also a Justice of the Peace for Edinburgh City Council.

Death

Lawrie died on 2 May 1942 at his home in

North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on th ...

. He was cremated on 5 May 1942. He died in the same weekend as

Patrick Munro Patrick Munro (9 October 1883 – 3 May 1942), also known as Pat Munro, was a Scotland international rugby union player and later a British Conservative politician.Scrum.com player profile. Retrieved 20 February 2010 Rugby union career Amateur ...

. Munro had a similar career to Lawrie: both went to Oxford University and played for the

rugby union side, both breaking through in 1903; both became Presidents of the

; and both were prominent Unionists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrie, Alfred 1882 births 1942 deaths Scottish rugby union players Presidents of the Scottish Rugby Union Edinburgh Wanderers RFC players Oxford University RFC players Scottish Districts referees Scottish rugby union referees Rugby union players from Edinburgh