Sir Duncan Mackay Weatherstone (1898–1972) was a Scottish politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1962 to 1966.

Life

He was born in Edinburgh in 1898 the son of Robert Weatherstone of 12 East Northon Place. He trained as an insurance agent, his father's profession. In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he served in the Cameron Highlanders then won a commission and served as a Captain in the Royal Scots winning the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

for his bravery. In the 1960s he became Chairman of the Board of Governors of

Heriot Watt College Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequ ...

. In 1963, he succeeded Sir

John Greig Dunbar Sir John Greig Dunbar, DL, JP (19 September 1906 – 4 January 1978) was a Scottish businessman and Conservative politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1960 to 1963. Life Dunbar was born at Elgin House near the top of Easter R ...

as Lord Provost of Edinburgh. During his term as Lord Provost he gained infamy by asking

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

for a £100,000 contribution towards the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

which they declined suggesting that he should instead pawn his

chain of office A livery collar or chain of office is a collar or heavy chain, usually of gold, worn as insignia of office or a mark of fealty or other association in Europe from the Middle Ages onwards. One of the oldest and best-known livery collars is the Col ...

. This act led to a 3000-signature petition objecting to his "begging" for money. He also campaigned for the demolition of

Waverley station Edinburgh Waverley railway station (also known simply as Waverley; gd, Waverley Dhùn Èideann) is the principal railway station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the second busiest station in Scotland, after Glasgow Central. It is the north ...

and St Andrews Square Bus Station, preferring the use of the motor car. His massive plans to reorganise traffic with an "inner ring road" also included demolition of many Georgian streets. He also organised the demolition of a group of buildings on Castle Terrace (north of the

Usher Hall The Usher Hall is a concert hall in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1914 and can hold approximately 2,200 people in its recently restored auditorium, which is well loved by performers due to its ...

) to provide a new opera house. This project was only abandoned in 1975 and the gap was only filled in 1995. During his period in office he was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

(as was standard for the Lord Provost at that time). In 1966, he was succeeded as Lord Provost by Sir Herbert Archbold Brechin. His later life was further plagued by scandal, both in marrying a very young bride and in getting into increasing financial difficulties, concluding in his being taken to court for debt in 1972. In his later life he lived at Buckingham Terrace in west Edinburgh.

Artistic Recognition

His portrait by Alan Sutherland is held by

City of Edinburgh Council The City of Edinburgh Council is the local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of in mid-2019, it is the second most populous local authority area in Scotland. In its current form, the counci ...

Family

He and wife Janet married at Inverleith Church in Edinburgh. Their son, Bruce Weatherstone (1926-2009), became Chairman of Lothian Health Board.''The Sunday Herald'', 4 May 1990. Following Janet's death in 1966 he married a second time in 1968 to Elizabeth Evans. He was aged 70 and she was 29.

References

1898 births 1972 deaths Politicians from Edinburgh Lord provosts of Edinburgh Knights Bachelor Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Scots officers {{Scotland-provost-stub