Robert Curran (14 September 1923 – 28 September 1995) was a
Scottish nationalist
Scottish nationalism promotes the idea that the Scottish people form a cohesive nation and Scottish national identity, national identity.
Scottish nationalism began to shape from 1853 with the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish ...
political activist
A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...
. He was youngest Provost in Scotland, and the first SNP provost. He stood as an SNP candidate in the
Stirling and Falkirk by-election of 1948 and for
Stirling and Falkirk in the
1950 general election.
Biography
Born in
Alva, Clackmannanshire
Alva (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ailbheach'', meaning rocky) is a small town in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is one of a number of towns situated immediately to the south of the Ochil Hills, collectively referred to as th ...
, Curran moved with his family to
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 ...
in his childhood, returning to Scotland to study at
Alva Academy
Alva Academy is a six-year comprehensive school serving the towns and villages of Alva, Menstrie, Tillicoultry, Coalsnaughton, Devonside, Dollar and Muckhart, all in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. The roll is over 900. The school is in the top ...
.
Working as a
confectioner
Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categorie ...
, he joined the
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) in the early 1940s, and in 1944 was elected for the party to Alva Burgh Council. When only 25, he became the youngest
Provost in Scotland,
[Robert Curran]
, '' The Herald'', 5 October 1995 and the first SNP provost in Scotland. During this time, he expressed a strong interest in
Georgism
Georgism, also called in modern times Geoism, and known historically as the single tax movement, is an economic ideology holding that, although people should own the value they produce themselves, the economic rent derived from land—including ...
.
Curran stood for the SNP in the
1948 Stirling and Falkirk by-election
A by-election for the constituency of Stirling and Falkirk (UK Parliament constituency), Stirling and Falkirk in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons was held on 7 October 1948, caused by the death of the incumbent Labour M ...
, taking 8.5% of the vote and third place; then again stood in
Stirling and Falkirk at the
1950 general election, his vote share falling to 3.8%.
[UK General Election results February 1950]
, ''Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources'' From 1951 until 1953, Curran served as National Secretary of the party, and he then ran the SNP's organising committee for a year, during which time he founded the
National League for Young Scots. He emigrated again to Canada, returning to Scotland in 1974. On his return, he again became involved with the SNP, and in 1980 was elected to
Clackmannan District Council, serving for four years.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curran, Robert
1923 births
1995 deaths
People from Clackmannanshire
Provosts in Scotland
Scottish emigrants to Canada
Scottish National Party councillors
Scottish political candidates