William Adamson | |
|---|---|
 Adamson in 1911 | |
| Leader of the Labour Party | |
| In office 24 October 1917 – 14 February 1921 | |
| Chief Whip | George Henry Roberts William Tyson Wilson Arthur Henderson |
| Preceded by | Arthur Henderson |
| Succeeded by | J. R. Clynes |
| Secretary of State for Scotland | |
| In office 7 June 1929 – 24 August 1931 | |
| Prime Minister | Ramsay MacDonald |
| Preceded by | Sir John Gilmour |
| Succeeded by | Archibald Sinclair |
| In office 22 January 1924 – 3 November 1924 | |
| Prime Minister | Ramsay MacDonald |
| Preceded by | Ronald Munro Ferguson |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Gilmour |
| Member of Parliament forWest Fife | |
| In office 19 December 1910 – 8 October 1931 | |
| Preceded by | John Deans Hope |
| Succeeded by | Charles Milne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 April 1863 (1863-04-02) Dunfermline,Fife, Scotland |
| Died | 23 February 1936 (1936-02-24) (aged 72) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
William Adamson (2 April 1863 – 23 February 1936) was a Scottish trade unionist andLabour Party politician. He wasLeader of the Labour Party from 1917 to 1921 and wasSecretary of State for Scotland in 1924 and during 1929–1931 in the first two Labour ministries headed byRamsay MacDonald.
Adamson was born inDunfermline,Fife, and was educated at a localdame school. He worked as a miner in Fife where he became involved with theNational Union of Mineworkers. In 1902–08 he was Assistant Secretary of theFife and Kinross Miners' Association,[1] and he thereafter served as its General Secretary.[2]
Active with the newLabour Party, Adamson was first elected toParliament forWest Fife in theDecember 1910 general election.[3][4] His victory was the only Labour gain from theLiberals in that election.[5]
Adamson was electedChairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party on 24 October 1917, a post he held until 1921.[1] He led the party into thegeneral election of 1918, which saw Labour gain 15 seats and become the largest opposition party in the House of Commons for the first time; however, there remained uncertainty as to whether Adamson or the leader of the independent Liberals,Donald Maclean could claim to be the trueleader of the opposition in the Commons.
In 1918 he was sworn into thePrivy Council.[6] In 1919, Adamson was confident that the experience of theFirst World War would "produce a different atmosphere and an entirely different relationship amongst all sections of our people" and would act as a watershed in the process of social reform.[7] He served asSecretary for Scotland andSecretary of State for Scotland in 1924[1][8] and between 1929 and 1931[1][9] in the Labour governments ofRamsay MacDonald.
However, he split with MacDonald after the formation of theNational Government. Adamson lost his seat in the1931 election which he contested for Labour against MacDonald's coalition.[1] He stood again in the1935 election but again failed to take the seat, losing on this occasion toWilliam Gallacher of theCommunist Party of Great Britain.[2]
Adamson was married to Christina Myles Marshall (1862–1935), a factory worker, with whom he had two daughters and two sons; one of the latter was killed during theFirst World War.[2]
Adamson died in February 1936, aged 72. He is buried inDunfermline Cemetery, just north of the roundel at the end of the entrance avenue.[citation needed]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWest Fife Dec. 1910–1931 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the British Labour Party 1917–1921 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary for Scotland 1924 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Scotland 1929–1931 | Succeeded by |
| Trade union offices | ||
| Preceded by | General Secretary of theFife and Kinross Miners' Association 1908 – 1917 | Succeeded by James Cook |
| Preceded by | Treasurer of theScottish Miners' Federation 1914 – 1922 | Succeeded by Edward Hawke |
| Secretaries of state for Scotland 1707–1746 | .svg) | |
|---|---|---|
| Secretaries for Scotland 1885–1926 | ||
| Secretaries of state for Scotland (pre-devolution) 1926–1999 | ||
| Secretaries of state for Scotland (post-devolution) 1999–present | ||
