Sir Thomas Galbraith | |
|---|---|
 Galbraithc. 1950 | |
| Member of Parliament forGlasgow Hillhead | |
| In office 25 November 1948 – 2 January 1982 | |
| Preceded by | James Reid |
| Succeeded by | Roy Jenkins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Galloway Dunlop Galbraith 10 March 1917 |
| Died | 2 January 1982(1982-01-02) (aged 64) Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Political party | Unionist (until 1965) Conservative (until 1982) |
| Spouse | Simone du Roy de Blicquy |
| Children | Ghislaine Kennerley,Thomas Galbraith, Charles Galbraith |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford University of Glasgow |
| Nickname | Tam Galbraith |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | Royal Navy Reserve |
| Years of service | 1939–1946 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Sir Thomas Galloway Dunlop Galbraith, known asTam Galbraith,KBE (10 March 1917 – 2 January 1982) was a ScottishUnionist politician.
The eldest son and heir ofThomas Galbraith, 1st Baron Strathclyde, Galbraith was educated atAytoun House, Glasgow;Wellington College;Christ Church, Oxford (MA), and at theUniversity of Glasgow (LLB).
He served as a lieutenant in theRoyal Naval Volunteer Reserve 1939–1946.
Galbraith unsuccessfully contestedPaisley in July 1945, andEdinburgh East at aby-election in October 1945 before being elected forGlasgow Hillhead ata by-election in 1948. Galbraith won the seat with an increased majority, although his Labour rival's vote share was only slightly reduced. In victory, Galbraith expressed pleasure that the campaign between the parties had been "clean" and "friendly".[1] Commenting on the by-election, an editorial inThe Glasgow Herald noted that he had increased the Unionist Party's majority by a third, which it argued was "a notable achievement by a young candidate succeeding one of the outstanding Unionist members of recent years."[2] It also criticised the view that the result was disappointing for Conservative and Unionists due to the fact that the result was not as good as that achieved in the recentEdmonton by-election, where the Conservative vote had substantially increased while Labour's vote fell significantly.[2]
He was Assistant Conservative Whip (1950), a Government Whip (1951–57),Civil Lord of the Admiralty (1957–59),Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (1959–62), andParliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, (1963–64).
During Galbraith's time at the Admiralty, questions were raised about his connection to the Soviet spyJohn Vassall, a former Admiralty employee, after letters from Galbraith were found in Vassall's possession. It was thought odd that a minister would communicate by post with an official of his own department, and there was considerable speculation of impropriety in the press. Given Vassall's known homosexuality, rumours began to circulate that Vassall and Galbraith were involved with each other and that Galbraith might have shielded Vassall from discovery.
Thecommittee of civil servants originally established to probe the Vassall affair investigated the correspondence and declared it innocent, but the verdict was not universally accepted. Eventually the Prime Minister was compelled to open a wider inquiry, conducted by three jurists. This second inquiry determined that Vassall had not been helped or favoured by any of his seniors.
Vassall later denied in his memoirs that there had been any sexual relationship between the two men.[3]
Galbraith was President of theScottish Georgian Society from 1970 to 1980 and was a Member of theRoyal Company of Archers. He was knighted (KBE) in 1981.
Galbraith died at the start of 1982, while still a Member of Parliament. He had successfully fought ten elections and, with 33 years of service, was Scotland's longest-serving MP. Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher, in response to his death, said she was "deeply saddened by his death, especially so soon after his knighthood had been announced."[4]The Glasgow Herald claimed he was known "as the quiet man of Scottish politics".[4]
Galbraith's death triggered a high-profileby-election for the Hillhead seat which would have a major impact on British politics. In the immediate aftermath of the news that Galbraith had died, Denis Sullivan, the chairman of the newly establishedSocial Democratic Party in Scotland, indicated that the majority of the party in Scotland wished one of the SDP's founders, and formerLabourChancellor of the Exchequer,Roy Jenkins, to be their candidate at the by-election.[5] Jenkins ultimately won the contest, enabling him to emerge as the person who would lead theSDP–Liberal Alliance at thenext general election.[6]
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Galbraith married Simone Clotilde Fernande Marie Ghislaine Blicquy on 11 April 1956. They had three children:
Galbraith predeceased his father, the 1st Baron. His elder son succeeded as 2nd Baron in 1985 and was subsequently a Conservative junior Minister, Chief Whip in the Lords and Leader of the House of Lords.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forGlasgow Hillhead 1948–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Under-Secretary of State for Scotland 1951–1955 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Comptroller of the Household 1954–1955 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Treasurer of the Household 1955–1957 | |
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport 1963–1964 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
