Hugh Pattison Macmillan, Baron Macmillan, (20 February 1873 – 5 September 1952) was a Scottish advocate, judge, parliamentarian and civil servant.Pine, p.187

Life

He was born in

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 ...

, the son of the Rev Hugh Macmillan DD FRSE (1833-1903) and Jane Patison (1833-1922). His father was minister of St Peter's Free Church in Glasgow. The family moved to 70 Union Street in Greenock in 1878. Hugh was educated at Collegiate School, Greenock from 1878, then studied at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

(M.A. 1st class honours in philosophy, 1893 Bruce of Grangehill and Falkland Scholarship) and the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

(LLB). He was indentured for three years to the firm Cowan, Fraser and Clapperton while he studied the Law, in which he distinguished himself by winning the Cunningham Scholarship for Conveyancing in the year 1896.Macmillan, p.23 He was admitted to the

Faculty of Advocates The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. The Faculty of Advocates is a constit ...

in 1897 with a public defence of an assigned Thesis ''De diversis regulis juris antiqui'', and later became King's Counsel in 1912. For a time he wrote articles on conveyancing for Green's ''Encyclopedia of Scots Law'', and was Editor of the quarterly ''Juridical Review'' between 1900 and 1907. During 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 ...

Macmillan served as assistant director of Intelligence for the Ministry of Information. Macmillan suffered an illness, and surgery thereon, in 1917, at which time he decided to cease his nascent political career (then in abeyance for the duration of the

Great 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 ...

). In October 1922, he was asked by Bonar Law to become the Solicitor-General for Scotland, which he declined because of his political stripe. In 1923 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Edward Theodore Salvesen (Lord Salvesen),

William Archer Tait William Archer Porter Tait FRSE FRMS MICE (1866–1929) was a 19th/20th century Scottish civil engineer and part of the Guthrie Tait dynasty. He was Vice President of the Institute of Civil Engineers in 1929. Life He was born on 25 Marc ...

, Robert Blyth Greig and Sir

Edmund Taylor Whittaker Sir Edmund Taylor Whittaker (24 October 1873 – 24 March 1956) was a British mathematician, physicist, and historian of science. Whittaker was a leading mathematical scholar of the early 20th-century who contributed widely to applied mathema ...

. He resigned from the Society in 1931. When the Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald was elected in 1924 – the first time the Labour Party had taken power – it had no KCs in Scotland amongst its parliamentary representation. Macdonald therefore turned to Macmillan, whose reputation at the Bar was considerable, to take the job of

Lord Advocate His Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate ( gd, Morair Tagraidh, sco, Laird Advocat), is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved p ...

, even though he was a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

. He served as Lord Advocate from February to November 1924,Pine, p.188 and was sworn of the Privy Council on 16 April that year. Macmillan was standing counsel for a vast array of clients, that included the Dominion of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

from 1928, and for the Commonwealth of Australia from 1929. He chaired in 1924 the Royal Commission on Lunacy and Mental Health, in 1929 the Committee on Finance and Industry, and in 1932 the Committee on Income Tax Codification. On 3 February 1930, he was appointed to replace Lord Sumner as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, and was simultaneously created a life peer as Baron Macmillan of Aberfeldy in the

County of Perth Perthshire ( locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the nort ...

, one of few men to have been appointed a judge in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

straight from the Bar. Macmillan sat as a

Law Lord Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were judges appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the British House of Lords, as a committee of the House, effectively to exercise the judicial functions of the House o ...

until 1947 except for a brief period at the outbreak of

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

when he was

Minister of Information An information minister (also called minister of information) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with information matters; it is often linked with censorship and propaganda. Sometimes the position is given to ...

.Macmillan, p.147 However he came in for much criticism in this role and was soon replaced. The Ministry of Information was located in the Senate House,

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, and the Macmillan Hall there is named after him. Senate House, University of London

Macmillan produced some 152 judgments in the House of Lords, and some 77 in the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Aug ...

. He held a number of chairmanships, including the Committee on Finance and Industry in 1929–31, the Canadian

Royal Commission on Banking and Currency The Royal Commission on Banking and Currency (also known as the Macmillan Commission) was a 1933 Canadian royal commission tasked with reviewing the Canadian government's involvement in monetary policy. Chaired by Scottish jurist Hugh Macmillan, ...

in 1933, the

Pilgrim Trust The Pilgrim Trust is a national grant-making trust in the United Kingdom. It is based in London and is a registered charity under English law. It was founded in 1930 with a two million pound grant by Edward Harkness, an American philanthropist. T ...

from 1935 to 1952, the Political Honours Committee from 1935 to 1952, the Court of the

from 1929 to 1943, and the

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...

Life

Family

Publications

Cases and Bills noted

A Man of Law's Tale

Legacy

Notes

References and Bibliography