Sir Maitland Mackie, (16 February 1912 – 18 June 1996), often known as Mike Mackie, was a British

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician, farming pioneer, educational innovator and

Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire The Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, is the British monarch's personal representative in an area consisting of the county of Aberdeen as it existed immediately prior to abolition for local government purposes by the Local Government (Scotland) Ac ...

Background and family

He was the son of Dr Maitland Mackie OBE and Mary Yull. He attended

Aberdeen Grammar School Aberdeen Grammar School is a state secondary school in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of thirteen secondary schools run by the Aberdeen City Council educational department. It is the oldest school in the city and one of the oldest grammar school ...

. He graduated from the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

with a BSc in Agriculture in 1933. He married Isobel Ross in 1935 and they had two sons and four daughters. He celebrated his silver wedding with her before her death in 1960. In 1963, he married a Texan, Pauline Turner, who died in 1993. The Mackie family is best known for its ownership of the ' Mackie's of Scotland' ice cream company. His younger brothers were John Mackie who served as Labour MP and George Yull Mackie who became a Liberal MP, both subsequently entering the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. His son, Maitland Mackie, CBE, was Chairman of Mackies Scotland until his death in May 2014, while his grandson, Maitland (Mac) Mackie is the current managing director.

Professional career

In 1932 he started farming. In 1950 he toured America and Canada as an agricultural speaker for British Information Services.The Times House of Commons 1951 He pioneered the use of

silage Silage () is a type of fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of acidification. It can be fed to cattle, sheep and other such ruminants (cud-chewing animals). The fermentation and storage p ...

in Scottish dairy farming and was the first man north of the

River Tay The River Tay ( gd, Tatha, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing') is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in Great Britain. The Tay originates ...

to own a combine harvester. A scholarship worth £1,000 in Sir Maitland's name was established at the

School of Biological Sciences. The scholarship is awarded to students who can demonstrate promise in the field of Animal Production for the Food Industry or Rural Land-use and the Environment.

Political career

He was Vice-chairman of Aberdeen Youth Council. He was a district commissioner of the scout movement. He was elected to Aberdeenshire County Council in 1951 and served for fifteen years as chairman of the education committee which earned him a Fellowship of the

Educational Institute of Scotland The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) is the oldest teachers' trade union in the world, having been founded in 1847 when dominies became concerned about the effect of changes to the system of education in Scotland on their professional s ...

. He was Liberal Party parliamentary candidate for West Aberdeenshire at the 1951 General Election; He was Liberal party parliamentary candidate for Aberdeenshire East in the 1958 East Aberdeenshire by-election. He was appointed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1965. He was chairman of Aberdeen District Milk Marketing Board from 1965 to 1982. He was a governor of the North of Scotland College of Agriculture from 1968 to 1982. He was the first chairman of the North East of Scotland Development Authority from 1969 to 1975. As chair of the North East of Scotland Development Authority he worked hard to encourage the international oil industry in the area. He headed the first Scottish trade mission to Houston, Texas. He was knighted in 1982. Sir Maitland's autobiography, ''A Lucky Chap'' was published in 1993.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackie, Maitland 1912 births 1996 deaths Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deputy Lieutenants of Aberdeenshire Knights Bachelor Knights of the Order of St John Lord-Lieutenants of Aberdeenshire People educated at Aberdeen Grammar School 20th-century Scottish businesspeople Scottish farmers Scottish justices of the peace Scottish Liberal Party parliamentary candidates