James Stevenson, 1st Baron Stevenson,

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(2 April 1873 – 10 June 1926), known as Sir James Stevenson, Bt, between 1917 and 1924, was a British businessman and civil servant.

Education

Stevenson was educated at the

Kilmarnock Academy Kilmarnock Academy (Scottish Gaelic: ''Acadamaidh Chille Mheàrnaig''), formerly Kilmarnock Burgh School, is a state-funded secondary school in Kilmarnock, Scotland, currently located on Sutherland Drive in the New Farm Loch area of the town. T ...

. It would appear that his education there was interrupted – perhaps because his parents had had to withdraw him due to an inability to pay school fees – for when he enrolled in 1887 he had a previous admission number.

Career

Stevenson joined the

Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky now owned by Diageo that originated in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. The brand was first established by grocer John Walker. It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Sc ...

whisky blending company in 1888, working his way up to become its joint Managing Director. He is credited with having come up with the company's advertising slogan 'Born in 1820 – still going strong'. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

he was appointed to a senior position in the

Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis ...

and in return for his service was created a Baronet, of Walton Heath in the Parish of

Walton-on-the-Hill Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey, is a village in England midway between the market towns of Reigate and Epsom. The village is a dispersed cluster on the North Downs centred less than one mile inside of the M25 motorway. The village hosts the Wa ...

in the

County of Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Are ...

, on 11 April 1917. After the war he continued in government service and from 1921 he worked as a personal adviser to

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

, then

Secretary of State for the Colonies The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies. History The position was first created in 1768 to deal with the increas ...

. Immediately after the First World War he was responsible for the

Stevenson Plan The Stevenson Plan, also known as the Stevenson Restriction Scheme, was an effort by the United Kingdom, British government to stabilize low rubber prices resulting from a glut of rubber following World War I. Background In the early 1900s, increas ...

, which was an effort by the UK government to stabilise low rubber prices after a world glut of rubber. Stevenson was appointed a

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(GCMG) in the

1922 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1922 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 30 December 1921. The recipients of honours are displayed here ...

. Stevenson later chaired the Standing Committee responsible for the

British Empire Exhibition The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, London England from 23 April to 1 November 1924 and from 9 May to 31 October 1925. Background In 1920 the British Government decided to site the British Empire Exhibi ...

(1924–25). London's

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

had been built as a temporary home for the exhibition, but Scotsman Stevenson fought successfully to prevent its demolition and it continued as an English national stadium into the 21st Century. He was raised to the peerage as Baron Stevenson, of Holmbury in the

, on 7 May 1924, during the first premiership of

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

. He was the first person from

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

to be elevated to the peerage.

Writings

According to his obituary, in 1912 he published a novel, ''The Kiss of Chance'' (published by Eveleigh Nash, London, pp. 301), under the pseudonym Roland Dunster. A second novel was ''An Incurable Disease'' which ''

The Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

'' says was illustrated by

Septimus Edwin Scott Septimus Edwin Scott (1879–1965), who signed his name Sep E. Scott,Norman Wright and David Ashford, ''Masters of Fun and Thrills: The British Comic Artists Vol 1'', Norman Wright (pub.), 2008, pp. 170-179 was a British painter, illustrator and ...

.Google Books
The Strand magazine – Page 205 (1912 but edition not known)

Personal life

Lord Stevenson died on 10 June 1926, aged 53, when the baronetcy and barony became extinct.

Political relatives

John Keith McBroom Laird John Keith McBroom Laird (12 January 1907 – 12 November 1985) was a Canadian author, barrister, and solicitor. He was a member of the Canadian Liberal Party, a well-known tax lawyer in Windsor, and a law partner of Paul Martin, Sr., who was ...

(1907–1985) Canadian Senator – 2nd cousin, once removed * Sir Alexander Stewart Stevenson (1860–1936) Edinburgh Lord Provost – uncle *

Stewart Stevenson James Alexander Stewart Stevenson (''Gaelic: Seamus Alasdair Stiùbhart MacSteafain''; born 15 October 1946) is a Scottish politician who served as Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change from 2007 to 2010 and Minister for Env ...

(1946– ) Member of the Scottish Parliament (2001– ), Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (2007–2010), Minister for Environment and Climate Change (2011–2012) – 1st cousin, once removed

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson 1873 births 1926 deaths People educated at Kilmarnock Academy British civil servants Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Barons created by George V