John McLaren, Lord McLaren,
FRSE
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soc ...
(17 April 1831 – 6 April 1910) was a British
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 ...
politician and judge. In the scientific world he is remembered as a mathematician and astronomer.
Life
The son of
Duncan McLaren, a former
Provost of Edinburgh
The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the ...
and Member of Parliament, and his wife Grant Aitken, he was born at 21 South St David Street, in
Edinburgh's New Town
The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Street ...
.
He studied law at
Edinburgh University
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 158 ...
. He was admitted to the Scottish
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 1856. In 1869 he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
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 ...
, his proposer being
Robert William Thomson
Robert William Thomson PRSSA FRSE (29 June 1822–8 March 1873), from Stonehaven, Scotland, was the inventor of the fountain pen and original inventor of the pneumatic tyre.
Life
He was born on 29 June 1822 in Stonehaven in the northea ...
. He served as the society's vice president for three sessions:
1885 to 1891; 1892 to 1898; and 1901 to 1906.
He held the office of Sheriff of Chancery in Scotland 1869–1880. He reorganised the
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 ...
party and arranged
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-cons ...
's
Midlothian campaign
The Midlothian campaign of 1878–80 was a series of foreign policy speeches given by William Gladstone, leader of Britain's Liberal Party. It is often cited as the first modern political campaign. It also set the stage for Gladstone's comeback ...
of 1879–1880.
He was elected
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members ofte ...
for
Wigtown Burghs in April 1880 and appointed
Lord Advocate
, body =
, insignia = Crest of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg
, insigniasize = 110px
, image = File:Official Portrait of Dorothy Bain QC.png
, incumbent = Dorothy Bain KC
, incumbentsince = 22 June 2021
, appointer = Monarch on the advice ...
, losing his seat on seeking re-election on 20 May 1880. He failed to be elected at
Berwick-upon-Tweed on 21 July 1880, but was returned for
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
on 28 January 1881. McLaren's father
Duncan McLaren had resigned as MP for Edinburgh, which produced the vacancy to be filled. McLaren continued to sit for Edinburgh until he was appointed as a judge, later in the year. He was
Lord Advocate
, body =
, insignia = Crest of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg
, insigniasize = 110px
, image = File:Official Portrait of Dorothy Bain QC.png
, incumbent = Dorothy Bain KC
, incumbentsince = 22 June 2021
, appointer = Monarch on the advice ...
for Scotland during 1880–81.
Under pressure from Gladstone and Sir William Harcourt, he accepted appointment to the
bench in 1881 with the judicial title Lord McLaren. He was an eminently successful judge, and edited works on Scots law. For his contributions to astronomy and mathematics he was awarded honorary degrees (all LLD) from
Edinburgh University
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 158 ...
, the
University of Glasgow and the
University of Aberdeen
, mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research universityAncient university
, endowment = £58.4 million (2021)
, budget ...
.
Lord McLaren died in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
in
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English C ...
on 6 April 1910 but was returned to Edinburgh for burial in the
Grange Cemetery
The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hil ...
on its southernmost path. The original bronze medallion head was stolen but it is replaced with an accurate and convincing plastic replica.
Publications
McLaren wrote a number of books on legal topics, including ''Law of Wills and Succession''.
Family
In 1868 he married Ottile Schwabe (d.1914). Their children largely died in childhood. Their eldest daughter was
Ottilie McLaren.
Artistic recognition
His portrait by Sir
John Lavery
Sir John Lavery (20 March 1856 – 10 January 1941) was a Northern Irish painter best known for his portraits and wartime depictions.
Life and career
John Lavery was born in inner North Belfast, baptised at St Patrick's Church, Belfast a ...
is held in the
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. The gallery holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Co ...
but is seldom displayed.
References
*
Source: ''Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume I 1832-1885'' edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976).
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaren, John, Lord McLaren
1831 births
1910 deaths
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish Liberal Party MPs
Lord Advocates
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Edinburgh constituencies
Maclaren
Maclaren is a manufacturer of baby buggies, strollers and carriers based in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Product range
Strollers based around Owen Maclaren's original design are sold in over 50 countries under the Maclaren brand. These include the Mac ...
UK MPs 1880–1885
Scottish legal writers