Geoffrey Mackintosh Shaw (9 April 1927 – 28 April 1978) was a

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

minister who had an unconventional ministry outside the normal parish structures and became the first Convener of

Strathclyde Regional Council Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. ...

. He was widely expected to become the first

leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

of a proposed devolved Scottish Executive, but died before the

Scotland Act 1978 The Scotland Act 1978 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to establish a Scottish Assembly as a devolved legislature for Scotland. At a referendum held in the following year, the Act failed to gain the necessary level ...

had achieved implementation.

Family and education

Coming from a wealthy

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

family, he was educated at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...

. He left with the intention of studying law at university with the aim of becoming a lawyer. He was called up for

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in the

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, during which he felt a calling to become a minister. On his return he studied arts and divinity at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted ...

, graduating MA in 1950. As part of his theological studies, he went to

Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Ordained ministry

Whilst in New York Shaw had experienced work with people from the poorest parts of that city, particularly

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

. On his return to Scotland he formed a partnership with Walter and Elizabeth Fyfe, and John and Beryl Jardine, and together they established the ''Gorbals Group''. This was a radical experiment in social gospel ministry within the Church of Scotland outside conventional

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

structures. The three ministers lived in the

Gorbals The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and employment opportun ...

area of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, then regarded as one of the worst urban slum areas in Europe. Shaw lived in a flat in Cleland Street, where he sought to help some of the most marginalised people in the community. When the flat in Cleland Street was demolished in 1975 he moved to Queen Mary Avenue in

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Political career

His radical ministry led him into socialist politics. He joined the Labour Party and was elected Councillor for Govanhill in 1970 (on the former Glasgow Corporation, where he later became leader of the administration). Local government reorganisation in 1975 saw him become Convener of Strathclyde Regional Council. The

was enacted by the British Parliament with the intention of creating a devolved

Scottish Assembly The Scottish Assembly was a proposed legislature for Scotland that would have devolved a set list of powers from the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Labour Government led the Scotland Act 1978 through Westminster which provided for the ...

and Scottish Executive. Geoff Shaw was widely tipped to become "First Secretary" in the proposed Scottish Executive. However, Shaw died suddenly (aged 51) before the Scotland Act had been implemented, and its provisions never came into force. Twenty years later the

Scotland Act 1998 The Scotland Act 1998 (c. 46) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which legislated for the establishment of the devolved Scottish Parliament with tax varying powers and the Scottish Government (then Scottish Executive). It was on ...

eventually created a new

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...

which first sat in 1999.

Death and legacy

Overwork and smoking eventually led to a heart attack, and although he recovered initially, he suffered a relapse and died on 28 April 1978 at the age of 51. He was survived by his wife Sarah, whom he had married only a few years earlier. His funeral was an elaborate ceremony in

Glasgow Cathedral Glasgow Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Ghlaschu) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow. The cathedral was the seat of the Archbisho ...

, which (despite the failure of the Scotland Act 1978) has been likened to a formal

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

for a state premier. A

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

in the Toryglen area of south Glasgow is named after him.

References

* *''Geoff'', biography of Geoff Shaw by Ronald Ferguson {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Geoff 1927 births 1978 deaths 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Scottish Christian socialists People educated at Edinburgh Academy Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Presbyterian socialists Scottish Labour councillors Councillors in Glasgow Gorbals