Andrew Dewar Gibb | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Scottish National Party | |
| In office 1936–1940 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander MacEwen |
| Succeeded by | William Power |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1888-02-13)13 February 1888 Paisley, Scotland |
| Died | 24 January 1974(1974-01-24) (aged 85) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish National Party |
| Other political affiliations | Unionist Party Scottish Party |
| Spouse | Margaret Downie(m. 1923–1974) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow University of Cambridge |
| Profession | Advocate,Barrister, Professor (Law) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1917 |
| Rank | Major |
| Battles/wars | |
Andrew Dewar GibbMBEQC (13 February 1888 – 24 January 1974) was a Scottish advocate,barrister, professor and politician. He taught law atEdinburgh andCambridge, and wasRegius Professor of Law at theUniversity of Glasgow 1934–1958.[1] Gibb was the leader of theScottish National Party (SNP) from 1936 to 1940.
Born inPaisley, the son of William Fletcher Gibb, a doctor, Gibb was educated atPaisley Grammar School,Homefield Preparatory School,Trinity College, Glenalmond, and the University of Glasgow, where he graduated with anMA in 1910 and anLLB in 1913.
Following graduation, Gibb was called to theScottish bar in 1914.[2] DuringWorld War I he served in France with the 6thBattalion of theRoyal Scots Fusiliers, achieving the rank ofmajor. He also served as anadjutant toWinston Churchill during the short period in 1916 when Churchill was the battalion's commanding officer.[3] Gibb became a member of theEnglish bar in 1917 and practised as a barrister in England.[4] In 1929 he was appointed as lecturer inEnglish law at the University of Edinburgh, and from 1931 to 1934 he was lecturer inScots law at the University of Cambridge.[1]
In 1934, Gibb was appointed Regius Professor of Law at the University of Glasgow, and from 1937 to 1939 and 1945 to 1947 was Dean of the university's Law Faculty.[5] As a legal scholar he edited a range of works, including successive editions of a text on the law of maritime collisions, and on the position of Scots law in the United Kingdom. HisStudents' Glossary of Legal Terms was published in 1946, and four editions of hisPreface to Scots Law were published between 1944 and 1964.[1] In 1947, he became aKing's Counsel,[6] and from 1955 to 1957 he was the chairman of theSaltire Society. Gibb retired from his professorship in 1958, and was awarded anhonoraryDoctor of laws degree by the university the following year.
Andrew Dewar Gibb was politically active throughout his adult life. He began his political career in the 1920s as a supporter of theUnionist Party, and stood unsuccessfully as a Unionist parliamentary candidate forHamilton in1924, and forGreenock in1929.[1][5]
During the 1920s, Gibb came to the view that Scotland had been ill-served by theunion of 1707. His bookScotland in Eclipse (1930) linked the economic depression with a wider cultural malaise in Scotland. In particular, he believed that Scotland's status as a partner in theimperial mission had been compromised by her lowly status in the United Kingdom. While he moved towards aScottish nationalist position, he also retained a right-wing world view, and imperial questions remained prominent in his writings.[1]
Gibb's involvement in Scottish nationalism came initially as a member of theScottish Party, which had been founded as a counterbalance to the left-wingNational Party of Scotland.[1] In 1934, he became a founder member of theScottish National Party (SNP), and was the second leader of the SNP, serving from 1936 until 1940.[5] Gibb stood as an independent for theCombined Scottish Universities constituency in the1935 general election, and as an SNP parliamentary candidate in the1936 Combined Scottish Universities by-election, taking 31.1% of the vote and second place in the poll.[7] However, he was less successful at the1938 by-election, his share falling to 18.2%.[5] Gibb resigned as leader of the SNP in 1940, due to what he regarded as its rapid lurch to the left.[1] By 1947 he was considering returning to the Unionist Party, and possibly running for Parliament once more under their banner.[8]
Gibb died at his home in Glasgow in 1974, aged 85. Married to Margaret Isabel Downie in 1923, the couple had a son and two daughters.[1]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Regius Professor of Law 1934–1958 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman (Leader) of the Scottish National Party 1936–1940 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
