![Lord Cooper of Colross](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Lord_Cooper_of_Colross.jpg)
Thomas Mackay Cooper, 1st Baron Cooper of Culross (24 September 1892 – 15 July 1956) was a
Scottish Unionist Party politician, a judge and a historian, who had been appointed Lord Advocate of Scotland.
Background and education
Cooper was the son of John Cooper, of
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 ...
, a civil engineer, and Margaret, daughter of John Mackay, of
Dunnet,
Caithness. In 1915 he applied to
George Watson's College
George Watson's College is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871, and was merg ...
, Edinburgh, and the
University of Edinburgh
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 15 ...
where he completed an MA in 1912 and a Law LLB.
Political, legal and judicial career
Cooper was admitted a member of the
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 1915 and created a
King's Counsel in 1927. He was the Unionist
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 o ...
(MP) for
Edinburgh West from a by-election in 1935 to 1941.
In 1935 he was appointed
Solicitor General for Scotland
, body =
, insignia = Crest of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg
, insigniasize = 110px
, image = File:Official Portrait of Ruth Charteris QC.png
, incumbent = Ruth Charteris KC
, incumbentsince = 22 June 2021
, department = Crown Office and ...
and later that year he was appointed as
Lord Advocate
His Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate ( gd, Morair Tagraidh, sco, Laird Advocat), is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved p ...
.
He also became a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...
in 1935.
In 1941 he became
Lord Justice Clerk
The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.
Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord ...
with the judicial title of Lord Cooper
and in 1947
Lord Justice General
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
and
Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General is the most senior judge in Scotland, the head of the judiciary, and the presiding judge of the College of Justice, the Court of Session, and the High Court of Justiciary. The L ...
.
He resigned in 1954 and was made a peer as Baron Cooper of Culross, of Dunnet in the County of Caithness.
Personal life
Cooper was married to Margaret Mackay.
He was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1936, his proposers being
John Alexander Inglis
John Alexander Inglis of Auchendinny and Redhall FRSE KC LLB (1873 – 1941) was a Scottish landowner, advocate and historian. He specialised in family histories of Scotland’s gentry.
Life
He was born at Montpelier Lawn in Cheltenham in En ...
,
Thomas Henry Holland
Sir Thomas Henry Holland (22 November 1868 – 15 May 1947) was a British geologist who worked in India with the Geological Survey of India, serving as its director from 1903 to 1910. He later worked as an educational administrator at Edi ...
,
Thomas Hudson Beare
Sir Thomas Hudson Beare FRSE RSSA (30 June 1859 – 10 June 1940) was an eminent British engineer. He was successively Professor of Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, at University College, London (where he was a colleague of ...
and
Ernest Wedderburn
Sir Ernest MacLagan Wedderburn (3 February 1884 – 3 June 1958) was a Scottish lawyer, and a significant figure both in the civic life of Edinburgh and in the legal establishment. He held the posts of Professor of Conveyancing in the Universi ...
. He served as the society's vice president from 1945 to 1948.
Death
Lord Cooper of Culross died in July 1956, aged 62, at which point the barony became extinct.
He is buried with his parents near the centre of the SW section of the original
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 ...
in south
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 ...
.
See also
*
MacCormick v Lord Advocate
''MacCormick v Lord Advocate'' 1953 SC 396 was a Scottish constitutional law case and Scottish legal action on whether Queen Elizabeth II was entitled to use the numeral "II" as her regnal number in Scotland, as there had never been an earlier ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper of Culross, Thomas Cooper, 1st Baron
1892 births
1956 deaths
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Lord Advocates
Lords Justice Clerk
Lords Justice-General
Lords President of the Court of Session
Members of the Faculty of Advocates
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Edinburgh constituencies
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Ministers in the Churchill wartime government, 1940–1945
People educated at George Watson's College
20th-century King's Counsel
Scottish King's Counsel
Cooper
Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to:
* Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels
Arts and entertainment
* Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads
* Cooper (video game character), in ...
Solicitors General for Scotland
UK MPs 1931–1935
UK MPs 1935–1945
UK MPs who were granted peerages
Unionist Party (Scotland) MPs
Ministers in the Chamberlain wartime government, 1939–1940
Ministers in the Chamberlain peacetime government, 1937–1939
Hereditary barons created by Elizabeth II