Sir John Mills McCallum (12 August 1847 – 10 January 1920) was a Scottish soap manufacturer and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician.

Family and education

McCallum was born in Paisley the son of John McCallum who was originally from

Kintyre Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately north ...

and was a partner in a firm of dyers. McCallum attended

Allan Glen's School Allan Glen's School was, for most of its existence, a local authority, selective secondary school for boys in Glasgow, Scotland, charging nominal fees for tuition. It was founded by the Allan Glen's Endowment Scholarship Trust on the death, i ...

in Glasgow to pursue studies in chemistry.Catriona Macdonald, ''The Radical Thread: Political Change in Scotland. Paisley politics 1885–1924''; Tuckwell Press 2000 p51 In 1875, he married Miss Oates the daughter of a

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. He lived in Paisley all his life.

Career

McCallum followed his father into business and became a partner in the firm of Isdale and McCallum, soap manufacturers.The Times, 19 January 1906 p15

Politics

Local politics

McCallum became a member of the Paisley Town Council in 1899. He was magistrate in the town and also served as a

for

Renfrew Renfrew (; sco, Renfrew; gd, Rinn Friù) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's former ...

. He was sometime president of the

Scottish Liberal Association The Scottish Liberal Party, the section of the Liberal Party in Scotland, was the dominant political party of Victorian Scotland, and although its importance declined with the rise of the Labour and Unionist parties during the 20th century, it ...

and took a prominent part in the promotion of the Paisley Liberal Club, despite being a

teetotaller Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or is ...

and a

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

campaigner.

Political position

McCallum was identified as a supporter of the great Liberal prime minister

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

, particularly on the issue of

Irish Home Rule The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for Devolution, self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1 ...

. He also seems to have favoured greater devolution to Scotland itself, attending meetings of the Scottish Home Rule Association. Despite being an industrialist he was in that tradition of Liberal politicians supporting radical causes. He was a supporter of the Paisley Tenants’ Protection Association (PTPA) set up in 1902 and formed to campaign against the missive system, underpinning Scottish property transactions, and against rent increases. The PTPA became a broader radical campaigning body, diversifying from just housing questions into a forum for supporting wider social change. Indeed, McCallum developed into a strong advocate of social and labour reform, very much identified with the New Liberal agenda of social legislation enacted principally after 1908.

Parliament

McCallum first stood for Parliament in Paisley at the general election of 1906, succeeding

Sir William Dunn Sir William Dunn, 1st Baronet, (22 September 1833 – 31 March 1912), was a London banker, merchant and philanthropist, Liberal Member of Parliament for Paisley (1891–1906), and from before 1896 until the outbreak of the Second Boer War in ...

who had been Liberal MP for the town since winning a by-election in 1891. He faced

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

opposition and a candidate from the Scottish Workers' Representation Committee for

labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

but he won with a majority of 3,070 votes and 52.7% of the poll. He held his seat at the general elections of

January January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the first of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the ...

and December 1910 both times in straight fights against

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 i ...

opposition – by 2,921 votes in January and 2,689 in December. At the 1918 'coupon' general election McCallum faced a tougher fight. At first he kept his options open on support for the

Coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

. He announced to a meeting of the Paisley Liberal Association that he would vote in Parliament as a Liberal for the Coalition government. While soon being approached by a number of local Liberals and urged to fight as an official Coalitionist, he wavered and the

Coalition Coupon The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory ...

was bestowed on his Unionist opponent, John Taylor. Taylor, a furniture maker from Glasgow, actually fought as a member of the National Democratic Party. In addition McCallum faced a

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

opponent, John M Biggar, standing as a Co-operative candidate. In a tight three-way contest McCallum held his seat by a majority of just 106 votes, polling 7,542 votes to Biggar's 7,436 and Taylor's 7,201.

Public life

Apart from his political work McCallum took an active part in the public life of his home town. He was for many years president of the Paisley

Young Men's Christian Association YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

(YMCA), a member of the

Philosophical Society The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

, a director of Paisley Museum and Art Gallery and a director of the Poor Association. 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 ...

in 1912

Death

McCallum died at Southdene, Paisley on 10 January 1920 aged 72 years.The Times, 13 January 1920 p1 His death caused a by-election in Paisley and presented the opportunity for former Liberal Party leader

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

to return to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

. He is buried in Woodside Cemetery in Paisley, on the main east-west path leading from the crematorium on the crest of the hill. The grave is immediately west of Joseph Whitehead's stunning Pieta, "Mother and Son".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCallum, John Mills 1847 births 1920 deaths Scottish Liberal Party MPs Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Paisley constituencies Politicians from Paisley, Renfrewshire UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 Businesspeople in manufacturing People educated at Allan Glen's School Scottish businesspeople YMCA leaders