The Lord Drumalbyn | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Pensions and National Insurance | |
| In office 16 July 1962 – 20 October 1963 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Harold Macmillan |
| Preceded by | John Boyd-Carpenter |
| Succeeded by | Hon. Richard Wood |
| Joint Minister of State for Trade withEdward du Cann | |
| In office 23 October 1963 – 16 October 1964 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Sir Alec Douglas-Home |
| Preceded by | Alan Green The Lord Derwent |
| Succeeded by | George Darling Edward Redhead |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 August 1908 (1908-08-03) |
| Died | 11 October 1987(1987-10-11) (aged 79) |
| Nationality | British |
| Party | Scottish Unionist National Liberal |
| Spouse | Margaret Runge (d. 1979) |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Oxford |
Niall Malcolm Stewart Macpherson, 1st Baron DrumalbynKBE PC (3 August 1908 – 11 October 1987) was aScottishTory andNational Liberal politician.
The member of an importantLiberal family fromInverness-shire, Macpherson was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Stewart Macpherson and Helen, daughter of Reverend Archibald Borland Cameron. He was the brother ofGeorge Macpherson andSir Tommy Macpherson and a nephew ofLord Strathcarron. He was educated atFettes College andTrinity College, Oxford.[1] He initially worked in business, representing a firm inTurkey. He joined theCameron Highlanders from 1939, serving inWorld War II including inMadagascar.
Macpherson was electedMember of Parliament forDumfriesshire at the1945 general election. He served as Liberal-Unionist Scottishwhip from 1950 to 1955, when he was appointed JointUnder-Secretary of State for Scotland bySir Anthony Eden, a post he retained whenHarold Macmillan became Prime Minister in early 1957. In 1960 he was madeParliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade. Two years later Macpherson was sworn of thePrivy Council and appointedMinister of Pensions and National Insurance. In October 1963 he was made Joint-Minister of State for Trade by the new Prime Minister,Sir Alec Douglas-Home,[1] and the following month he was raised to the peerage asBaron Drumalbyn, of Whitesands in the Royal Burgh of Dumfries.[2] He continued at the Board of Trade until the Conservative government fell at the1964 general election. He was once again a member of the government asMinister without Portfolio underEdward Heath from 1970 to 1974.[1]
| Niall Macpherson Indemnity Act 1954 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act to indemnify Niall Macpherson, Esquire, from any penal consequences which he may have incurred by sitting or voting as a member of the House of Commons while holding the office of member of the London agency of the Dried Fruits Control Board of the Commonwealth of Australia, and to remove any disqualification for membership of that House by reason of his having held that office. |
| Citation | 2 & 3 Eliz. 2. c. 29 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 13 May 1954 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Representation of the People Act 1969 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
In 1954, his membership of the London agency of theDried Fruits Control Board of the Commonwealth of Australia gave rise to concern that he might be disqualified from sitting or voting as a member of the House of Commons by virtue of theSuccession to the Crown Act 1707. To avoid this problem, anAct of Indemnity, theNiall Macpherson Indemnity Act 1954 (2 & 3 Eliz. 2. c. 29), was passed.[3][4]
Lord Drumalbyn was also chairman of the British Commonwealth Producers' Organization from 1952 and a member of theBBC General Advisory Council. In 1974 he was appointed a Knight Commander of theOrder of the British Empire.[5]
Lord Drumalbyn married Margaret Phyllis, daughter of Julius Joseph Runge, in 1937.[6] They had three daughters, Jean Stewart Macpherson, who marriedJames Weatherall, Mary Stewart Macpherson, who married Philip Dudley Wilson and Howard Alvine Rees; and (Helen) Norah Macpherson (1947–1969), who died unmarried.[6] Lady Drumalbyn died on 13 August 1979.[6] In 1985, Lord Drumalbyn married Rita, widow of Harry Edmiston.[7] Lord Drumalbyn died on 11 October 1987, aged 79. The title became extinct on his death as he had no sons.[6] His widow died on 12 March 2014.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forDumfriesshire 1945–1963 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland 1955–1960 With:Jack Browne 1955–1959 Lord John Hope 1957–1959 Tam Galbraith 1959–1960 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade 1960–1962 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Pensions and National Insurance 1962–1963 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Joint Minister of State for Trade 1963–1964 With:Edward du Cann | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by George Thomson (1968–1969) | Minister without Portfolio 1970–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Drumalbyn 1963–1987 | Extinct |
.svg)
