John McAteer (5 January 1933 – 22 February 1977) was a key figure in 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 ...
of the 1960s and 70s.
Formative years
McAteer was the eldest of three children.
[Kate McAteer] His parents, Unity Begley and James McAteer, were Irish immigrants from the Fanad peninsula,
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
.
[ Born in ]Coatbridge
Coatbridge ( sco, Cotbrig or Coatbrig, gd, Drochaid a' Chòta) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, Coatbridge forms the area known as ...
, he was sent to his aunt's croft
Croft may refer to:
Occupations
* Croft (land), a small area of land, often with a crofter's dwelling
* Crofting, small-scale food production
* Bleachfield, an open space used for the bleaching of fabric, also called a croft
Locations In the Uni ...
in Fanad
Fanad (official name: Fánaid) is a peninsula that lies between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay on the north coast of County Donegal, Ireland. The origins of the name Fanad are lost in time thought there is some speculation that the name derives from ...
at the age of 2 to be cured of a stutter.[ He returned to Coatbridge at 6 years old speaking only ]Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
.
His parents and two sisters emigrated to the US in the mid-1950s, but he did not follow them.[
]
Teaching
Following national service in Egypt and Aden, he attended Jordanhill
Jordanhill ( sco, Jordanhull, gd, Cnoc Iòrdain)
teacher training college where he qualified as a Technical teacher.[ He went on to teach woodwork, metalwork and technical drawing at several schools, eventually taking a post as Principal of technical at Saint Saviour's, ]Bellshill
Bellshill (pronounced "Bells hill") is a town in North Lanarkshire in Scotland, southeast of Glasgow city centre and west of Edinburgh. Other nearby localities are Motherwell to the south, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton to the south ...
.[
]
Marriage
He married Kate Parker in 1961. They had four boys.[
]
SNP Years
McAteer became active in the Scottish National Party in the 1950s.[
]
Hamilton By-Election 1967
He was Winnie Ewing
Winifred Margaret Ewing (' Woodburn; born 10 July 1929) is a Scottish politician, lawyer and figure within the independence movement who served as President of the Scottish National Party from 1987 to 2005. Ewing was a Member of the Scottish P ...
's election agent
An election agent in elections in the United Kingdom, as well as some other similar political systems such as elections in India, is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is ...
in her successful by-election campaign in Hamilton in 1967. In her autobiography, Ewing says "...as I fought the seat I had many homes from homes, the main one being that of John and Kate McAteer..." She goes on to say: "... my agent, John McAteer, a descendant of an Irish rebel, was totally splendid in the job." Gordon Wilson: "Under the direction of John McAteer... there was a taut, well-organised campaign supported by thousands of supporters."
George Leslie: "We had to take the good points from the Pollok campaign and make them better. The most important person in all of this was John McAteer, who was Winnie's election agent and, later, national organiser. There was a plan in Hamilton." The organisation on the ground was formidable. "Again, it was John McAteer."
Hugh MacDonald: "John was the architect of the organisational and political strategy that shattered the Labour establishment with in its fortress of Hamilton. In terms of sheer professionalism it was the finest piece of organisation and deployment of forces that the National Party has witnessed."
SNP National Organiser
He served as National Organiser for the SNP from 1968 until his death in 1977. During this period, the SNP saw sustained growth, culminating in the return of 7 Westminster MPs in the 1974 General Election. Also notable during this time was Margo MacDonald
Margo Symington MacDonald (''née'' Aitken; 19 April 1943 – 4 April 2014) was a Scottish politician, teacher and broadcaster. She was the Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Govan from 1973 to 1974 and was ...
's victory in the Govan by-election in 1973.
The job of National Organiser entailed driving all over Scotland to visit local party branches and he clocked up a huge annual mileage.
Illness and death
Initially misdiagnosed with lower back pain
Low back pain (LBP) or lumbago is a common disorder involving the muscles, nerves, and bones of the back, in between the lower edge of the ribs and the lower fold of the buttocks. Pain can vary from a dull constant ache to a sudden sharp feeli ...
,[ he died of ]bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of cancer arising from the tissues of the urinary bladder. Symptoms include blood in the urine, pain with urination, and low back pain. It is caused when epithelial cells that line the bladder become mali ...
in a Glasgow hospital on 22 February 1977.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McAteer, John
1933 births
1977 deaths
People from Coatbridge
Scottish National Party politicians
Deaths from bladder cancer
Deaths from cancer in Scotland
Politicians from North Lanarkshire
Scottish people of Irish descent
Scottish schoolteachers