Hugh MacDonald (11 July 1929 – 3 December 2013), also known as Uisdean MacDonald, was a
Scottish nationalist
Scottish nationalism promotes the idea that the Scottish people form a cohesive nation and national identity.
Scottish nationalism began to shape from 1853 with the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights, progressing into t ...
activist.
Born in the
Possilpark
Possilpark is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow, situated north of the River Clyde and centred around Saracen Street. The area developed around Saracen Foundry of Walter MacFarlane & Co., which was the main employer. In the wake of th ...
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 ...
to parents who both worked in bottling factories, MacDonald learned
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
at night school at a young age. He worked initially as an
electrical engineer
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
, then later as an advertising salesman, first for the ''
Evening Citizen
The ''Evening Citizen'', was an evening version of ''The Glasgow Citizen'' (a daily newspaper founded in 1842 by James David Hedderwick). It was first published in August 1864, was one of the first of three evening newspapers to be printed, publ ...
'', then for the ''
Glasgow Herald
''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...
(SNP), and was involved with various activities in the party prior to the electoral successes of the 1960s, including co-authoring the early songbooks of the Bo'ness Rebels Literary Society.
He stood unsuccessfully in Glasgow Maryhill at the 1966 general election, taking 11.5% of the vote. He worked with George Leslie and Morris Blythman to develop campaign music at the
1967 Glasgow Pollok by-election
The Glasgow Pollok by-election of 9 March 1967 was held after the death of Labour MP (MP) Alex Garrow: ...
, was a leading figure in
Winnie Ewing
Winifred Margaret Ewing (' Woodburn; born 10 July 1929) is a Scottish politician, lawyer and figure within the independence movement who served as President of the Scottish National Party from 1987 to 2005. Ewing was a Member of the Scottish P ...
's victory in
1967 Hamilton by-election
The Hamilton (UK Parliament constituency), Hamilton by-election in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland, was held on 2 November 1967. It saw a surprise victory for the Scottish National Party candidate Winnie Ewing. The SN ...
, and his house was used as a base for the party's successful campaign in the
1973 Glasgow Govan by-election
The Glasgow Govan by-election was held on 8 November 1973, ''alba.org.uk'' following the death of He was appointed as a vice-chairman of the party in 1969, sharing responsibility for publicity with
Michael Grieve
James Michael Trevlyn Grieve (25 July 1932 – 18 August 1995) was a Scottish journalist and political activist.
Born in Shetland, the son of poet Hugh MacDiarmid, Grieve became a journalist, working across print and television.John Calder,Obi ...
. MacDonald's particular focus was the media, but the division of labour did not work well, and he stood down in 1972.Gordon Wilson, ''SNP: The Turbulent Years, 1960-1990 : a History of the Scottish National Party'', p.61
MacDonald next moved to
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
to work in advertising for the Kayhan Newspaper Group, leaving only on the outbreak of the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
. He returned to Glasgow to work for the Rex Stewart agency, and unsuccessfully attempted to sue the
Ayatollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
for the return of possessions which he had left on fleeing Iran.
Ill health compelled MacDonald to take early retirement, and he devoted his remaining years to
freemasonry
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
and in particular its
Knights Templar
, colors = White mantle with a red cross
, colors_label = Attire
, march =
, mascot = Two knights riding a single horse
, equipment ...