Oliver Ross McGregor, Baron McGregor of Durris (25 August 1921 – 10 November 1997) was a British sociologist,

social historian Social history, often called history from below, is a field of history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to co ...

and

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

Early life

Oliver Ross McGregor was born on 25 August 1921 in Durris,

Kincardineshire Kincardineshire or the County of Kincardine, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the stewartry"), is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area on the ...

, the son of a Scottish

tenant farmer A tenant farmer is a farmer or farmworker who resides and works on land owned by a landlord, while tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and ma ...

. At the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he enlisted as a gunner, before being seconded to the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

and the

Ministry of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

. After demobilisation, he pursued higher education at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

(LSE), graduating with

first First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

class honours in Economic History.Obituary: Lord McGregor of Durris
The Independent, 12 November 1997

Academic career

McGregor worked as an assistant lecturer and lecturer in Economic History at

Hull University The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

(1945–1947). In 1947, he joined Bedford College,

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, as a lecturer. He served as reader in Social Institutions (1960–1964) and later as Professor of Social Institutions (1964–1985), retiring shortly after Bedford College merged with

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a member institution of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departmen ...

. From 1964 to 1977, he was Head of the Department of Sociology at Bedford. He also chaired the Board of Studies and the Board of Examiners in Social Policy and Administration. Beyond London, McGregor held positions including Simon Senior Research Fellow at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

(1959–1960), Fellow of

Wolfson College, Oxford Wolfson College () is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Wolfson is an all-graduate college, it prides itself on being one of the most international colleges at Oxford, with part ...

(1972–1975), and Director of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, where he led interdisciplinary research projects with institutions like

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

and London.

Contributions to social and legal reform

McGregor's scholarly work significantly influenced family law and social policy. His first major publication, ''Divorce in England'' (1957), critiqued the Morton Commission's findings and proposed radical reforms to divorce laws. His co-authored ''Separated Spouses'' (1970), the first national survey of magistrates' courts' jurisdiction over matrimonial disputes and

illegitimate children Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

, shaped subsequent legislative reforms. As a member of the Select Committee on One-Parent Families, he co-authored the influential ''Finer Report'' (1974) with

Morris Finer Sir Morris Finer (12 December 1917 – 14 December 1974) was a British lawyer and judge. Early life Finer was born in Bethnal Green in London, the son of Charles Finer, a master tailor, and his wife Ray (née Topper). He was educated at Kilbu ...

, including a seminal historical analysis, ''The History of the Obligation to Maintain'', tracing the evolution of poor law and family law concerning illegitimate children in 19th-century England. Throughout the 1970s and beyond, McGregor contributed to prestigious lecture series—such as the James Seth Memorial, Maccabaean in Jurisprudence, Tom Olsen, and Hamlyn lectures—while serving on committees addressing issues like judgment debt enforcement, statutory maintenance limits and land use. He also presided over the National Council for One-Parent Families and the National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux.

Public life

McGregor's commitment to self-regulation in media and advertising defined the later stages of his career. In 1975, following Morris Finer's death, he chaired the Royal Commission on the Press (1975–1977). The Commission's 1977 report outlined institutional prerequisites for press freedom and critiqued the Press Council, influencing its reform. In 1977 he was appointed chairman of the Reuters Founders' Share Company. McGregor was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

on 9 February 1978, taking the title Baron McGregor of Durris, ''of

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

''. He became a Labour life peer and an active

crossbencher A crossbencher is a minor party or independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. They take their name fr ...

in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. From 1980 to 1990, McGregor chaired the Advertising Standards Authority, revising industry codes in an attempt to safeguard public interest. In 1991, he became the inaugural chairman of the

Press Complaints Commission The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC closed on Monday 8 September 2014, and was replaced by the Ind ...

(1991–1994), navigating controversies like the press coverage of the

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (; ) is a title used since the 14th century by the wife of the Prince of Wales. The Princess is the apparent future queen consort, as "Prince of Wales" is a title reserved by custom for the heir apparent to the Monarchy of the ...

and the publication of Andrew Morton's book on Princess Diana.

Honours

McGregor was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at the LSE (1977) and an honorary degree from

Bristol University The University of Bristol is a public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Bristol, which had ...

(1986).

Personal life

McGregor married Nell Weate in 1944 and had three sons with her. He died in London on 10 November 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcgregor, Oliver Ross 1921 births 1997 deaths People from Kincardine and Mearns Nobility from Aberdeenshire Academics of Bedford College, London Crossbench life peers Fellows of Wolfson College, Oxford Scottish sociologists Academics of the University of Hull Academics of the Victoria University of Manchester Royal Artillery soldiers British Army personnel of World War II Civil servants in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Alumni of the London School of Economics Life peers created by Elizabeth II