Sir Charles Cameron, 1st Baronet, (18 December 1841 – 2 October 1924), was a Scottish doctor, newspaper editor 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.
Cameron was born in Dublin, the son of John Cameron, newspaper proprietor of Glasgow and Dublin. He was educated at
Madras College
Madras College, often referred to as Madras, is a Scottish comprehensive secondary school located in St Andrews, Fife. It educates over 1,400 pupils aged between 11 and 18 and was founded in 1833 by the Rev. Dr Andrew Bell.
History
Madras ...
,
St Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...
, and at
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
. He also studied at medical schools in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, and
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, but never practised medicine. He became editor of the ''North British Daily Mail'' (later incorporated into the ''
Daily Record'') in 1864, and was managing proprietor of the paper from 1873.
At the
1874 general election, Cameron was elected as one of the three
Members 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 of ...
(MPs) for
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 constituency was broken up under the
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict., c. 23) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equal ...
, and he was elected at the
1885 general election as the MP for the new
Glasgow College constituency.
He held the seat until his defeat at the
1895 general election.
Cameron was created baronet Cameron of Balclutha, Renfrew, on 7 August 1893 for his journalistic and parliamentary services. He was subsequently elected as MP for
Glasgow Bridgeton at a by-election in February 1897,
and held the seat until he stood down at the
1900 general election.
He was appointed CB in the
1899 New Year Honours.
Cameron was an active member of 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 was responsible for the Inebriates Acts, secured various reforms in the Scottish Liquor Laws and was a member of the Royal Commission on the Liquor Licensing Laws in 1895. He was also behind laws conferring the municipal franchise on women, and acts abolishing imprisonment for debt in Scotland and was a member of the Departmental Committee on Habitual Offenders (Scotland) in 1894. His resolution led to the adoption of sixpenny telegrams and he was on the Committee on Transit of Cattle Coastwise in 1893. He wrote a number of pamphlets on medical, social, and political subjects.
He served as president of the
Cremation Society of Great Britain
The Cremation Society of Great Britain (now known as The Cremation Society) was founded in 1874 to promote the use of cremation as an alternative means of dealing with the bodies of the dead instead of burial which until then was the only option. T ...
, as did his son and successor to the baronetcy.
Cameron lived at Glenridge,
Virginia Water
Virginia Water is a commuter village in the Borough of Runnymede in northern Surrey, England. It is home to the Wentworth Estate and the Wentworth Club. The area has much woodland and occupies a large minority of the Runnymede district. Its nam ...
, where he enjoyed motoring, riding, and travel. He died at the age of 82.
Cameron married firstly Frances Caroline Macaulay in 1869. Their son John succeeded to the baronetcy. Frances died in 1899, and he married secondly Blanche Perman.
Legacy
The
Cameron Memorial Fountain, in Glasgow's
Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street () is one of the main shopping streets in the Glasgow city centre, city centre of Glasgow, Scotland, along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, Glasgow, Argyle Street.
Although commonly associated with the city centre, Sau ...
, is dedicated to him.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Charles
1841 births
1924 deaths
Scottish Liberal Party MPs
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Glasgow constituencies
UK MPs 1874–1880
UK MPs 1880–1885
UK MPs 1885–1886
UK MPs 1886–1892
UK MPs 1892–1895
UK MPs 1895–1900
Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
Scottish newspaper editors
Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Companions of the Order of the Bath
People educated at Madras College
People from Virginia Water
People from St Andrews