Sir John MacLeod TD (23 February 1913 – 3 June 1984) was a British

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

officer, tweed designer, and politician who was a

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 of ...

in the Scottish highlands for 19 years.

Family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

MacLeod's family were from the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

where his father owned

Skeabost Skeabost ( gd, Sgeitheabost) is a township, at the head of the sea loch, Loch Snizort Beag in the southern end of the Trotternish peninsula on the island of Skye in the Scottish Highlands and is in the Scotland, Scottish council area of Highland ...

. Jacko, as the family called him, was the youngest son of Duncan MacLeod

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

who had interests in the whisky industry. MacLeod was sent to

Fettes College Fettes College () is a co-educational independent boarding and day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, with over two-thirds of its pupils in residence on campus. The school was originally a boarding school for boys only and became co-ed in 1983. In ...

in Edinburgh for his education. In 1938, he married Rosemary Theodora Hamilton Wills from a

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

family."Marriages", ''The Times'', 9 December 1938. The couple had two sons and three daughters. He worked running a centre which sold articles woven by crofters on the family's land.

Army service

In 1935, MacLeod had joined the

Territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

division of the Cameron Highlanders. During the

Second World War 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 served as a captain with the 51st Highland Division in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1940 and was taken prisoner in June at

Saint-Valery-en-Caux Saint-Valery-en-Caux (, literally ''Saint-Valery in Caux'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. The addition of an acute accent on the "e" (Valéry) is incorrect. Geography The town is locat ...

when the Division surrendered. He spent the rest of the war as a

Prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

Election to Parliament

When repatriated at the end of the war, MacLeod avidly read, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

,'' for 3 weeks to get up to speed on British affairs before entering into politics as a candidate for

Ross and Cromarty Ross and Cromarty ( gd, Ros agus Cromba), sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latt ...

in the 1945 general election. MacLeod was adopted by the Ross-shire Liberal Association, which was not affiliated to 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 ...

or the National Liberal Party; thereupon, he declared himself a supporter of

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 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

F. W. S. Craig Frederick Walter Scott Craig (10 December 1929 – 23 March 1989) was a Scottish psephologist and compiler of the standard reference books covering United Kingdom Parliamentary election results. He originally worked in public relations, compilin ...

, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949" (Parliamentary Research Services, 1977). Most of the press designated him as a Liberal National and he faced a straight fight with the Labour Party to succeed

Malcolm MacDonald Malcolm Ian Macdonald (born 7 January 1950) is an English former professional footballer, manager and media figure. Nicknamed 'Supermac', Macdonald was a quick, powerfully built prolific goalscorer. He played for Fulham, Luton Town, Newcastle U ...

. MacLeod had no difficulty in being elected, winning with a majority of 4,102. MacLeod had intended to take the Liberal whip in support of Sir Archie Sinclair, the Liberal leader, who represented the neighbouring constituency, but Sinclair was narrowly defeated in the same election.Memoirs, Jo Grimond (1979)

Parliamentary contributions

MacLeod concentrated on constituency interests including hill farming during his time in Parliament. In 1947, he led the textile group of the Highlands Advisory Panel which organised a tour of the area for the

Secretary of State for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...

and a group of experts; their aim was to build up the industry."Survey Of Highlands And Islands", ''The Times'', 16 August 1947. Because of his specialist interests, he was a low-profile MP.

Transport concerns

Starting at the 1950 general election, MacLeod described himself as a "Liberal and Conservative" candidate, the National Liberals having merged with the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. From

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

, he was an official candidate and he backed the Conservatives in Parliament; however, on issues which he felt adversely affected his constituents, he was willing to break party lines. One such issue was transport. In 1954, he joined with 5 other Scottish Conservative MPs to move for the annulment of a 10% increase in rail freight charges."M.P.s move against new freight charges", The Times, 27 February 1954. He was highly critical of

Ernest Marples Alfred Ernest Marples, Baron Marples, (9 December 1907 – 6 July 1978) was a British Conservative politician who served as Postmaster General (1957–1959) and Minister of Transport (1959–1964). As Postmaster General, he oversaw the introdu ...

in the early 1960s, asking rhetorically in 1963, "Has the Minister given up on the Highlands altogether?";"Inquiry Into Road Haulage Licensing System", ''The Times'', 30 April 1963. later that year MacLeod abstained, rather than support, the

Beeching Axe The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the ...

of lesser-used rail services."Six Conservatives Abstain", ''The Times'', 1 May 1963. MacLeod also pressed for better roads and more roads around the highlands, particularly on the basis of improving tourism.Eric Linklater, "Demand For A Road Round The Remote West", ''The Times'', 1 December 1956. In 1960, he moved a motion condemning the state drink monopoly in three Scottish towns ( Annan,

Dingwall Dingwall ( sco, Dingwal, gd, Inbhir Pheofharain ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest cast ...

and

Invergordon Invergordon (; gd, Inbhir Ghòrdain or ) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland (council area), Highland, Scotland. It lies in the parish of Rosskeen. History The town built up around the harbour which was establish ...

) created during the

First World War 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 obtained all-party support for its ending."M.P.s Attack State Drink Monopoly", ''The Times'', 21 March 1960.

Defeat

Despite his rebelliousness, MacLeod's standing in his local community was recognised when he was

Knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 1963. He was, however, defeated at the 1964 general election by the

candidate

Alasdair Mackenzie Alasdair Roderick Mackenzie (3 August 1903 – 8 November 1970) was a Scottish farmer and politician who became a Liberal Party Member of Parliament. A Gaelic speaker, he went to Broadford Junior Secondary School on the Isle of Skye. He became a ...

where he thereupon left politics. He returned to the tweed looms of

Portree Portree (; gd, Port Rìgh, ) is the largest town on, and capital of, the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Murray, W.H. (1966) ''The Hebrides''. London. Heinemann. Pages 154-155. It is the location for the only secondary school o ...

where he designed many new patterns which he continued to sell across the world. MacLeod's later years were dominated by a long illness.

References

Bibliography

*Sir David Wills, "Sir John Macleod" (Obituary), ''The Times'', 10 July 1984. *"Who Was Who", A & C Black

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macleod, John 1913 births 1984 deaths National Liberal Party (UK, 1931) politicians Independent members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom People educated at Fettes College Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders officers British Army personnel of World War II Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Highland constituencies UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964