Thomas Hill Gibson (22 September 1893 – 23 April 1975) was a

Scottish nationalist Scottish nationalism promotes the idea that the Scottish people form a cohesive nation and national identity. Scottish nationalism began to shape from 1853 with the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights, progressing into t ...

political activist. Born in

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 ...

, Gibson became a supporter of

home rule Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...

for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

through his membership of the Young Scots' Society, an affiliate of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and on his return, joined the Scottish Home Rule Association. He left the group in 1924 in opposition to its support of John Maclean, and instead joined the

Scots National League The Scots National League (SNL) was a political organisation which campaigned for Scottish independence in the 1920s. It amalgamated with other Scottish nationalist bodies in 1928 to form the National Party of Scotland. The Scots National Leag ...

. He quickly became the group's leading figure, and ensured that it became the core of the

National Party of Scotland The National Party of Scotland (NPS) was a centre-left political party in Scotland which was one of the predecessors of the current Scottish National Party (SNP). The NPS was the first Scottish nationalist political party, and the first which c ...

, which he founded in 1928.Gibson, Thomas Hill
, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' Gibson married

Elma Campbell Wilhelmina Allison Campbell (14 January 1901 – 28 February 1983) was a Scottish nationalist activist. Biography Born in the Cathcart area of Glasgow, Campbell attended the University of Glasgow, where she became active in the Conservative ...

,''The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women'', pp.65-66 and the couple moved to London in 1932, where he became secretary of the British Steel Federation and financial director of the British Iron and Steel Corporation. In his absence, the National Party began splitting between supporters of independence and those who favoured devolution. Against his wishes, the devolutionists organised a merger with the

Scottish Party The Scottish (Self-Government) Party was a Scottish nationalist political party formed in 1932 by a group of members of the Unionist Party who favoured the establishment of a Dominion Scottish Parliament within the British Empire. The Scottish ...

, founding 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). Gibson became increasingly involved in the

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, and was out of Scottish nationalist politics until after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He rejoined the SNP in the late 1940s, working with Robert McIntyre and Arthur Donaldson, and was party president from around 1950 until 1958, remaining active into the 1960s.

References

1893 births 1975 deaths Politicians from Glasgow Presidents of the Scottish National Party Scottish National Party politicians {{Scotland-politician-stub