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