William Sinclair Lauchlan (orLaughlan,[1][2] 10 May 1916 – 2009) was a Scottishcommunist activist.
Lauchlan was born in Irvine in May 1916 to James Lauchlan, a plasterer, and Catherine Sinclair.[3] He was educated to secondary school level.[4] A Plasterer to trade, Lauchlan joined theIndependent Labour Party in Irvine, Ayrshire 1933, then in 1935 switched to theCommunist Party of Great Britain (CPGB).[5] He quickly rose to prominence, serving asLanarkshire Organiser in the 1940s,[6] then becoming Scottish District Secretary in about 1951,[7] then in the 1960s served as National Organiser.[4]
He was also active onGlasgow Trades Council, and in 1946 represented it at theScottish Trades Union Congress.[7]
Lauchlan stood for the CPGB inGlasgow Govan at the1950 general election, then inWest Fife in1951,1955,1959 and1964, although he was never elected.[4]Following his retirement from being a full-time officer within the CPGB, Lauchlan returned to Glasgow in 1968 and worked for Scottish Homes in Glasgow and Edinburgh until his retirement in 1981. In retirement, he worked as a Volunteer with the Citizens Advice Bureau in Livingston, having moved to the New Town in West Lothian/Midlothian in 1972.
He was interviewed in May 2000 inMoffat, Dumfriesshire.[8] Lauchlan died inKelso in 2009 at the age of 93.[9]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Secretary of the Scottish District of theCommunist Party of Great Britain 1947 – 1956 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | National Organiser of theCommunist Party of Great Britain 1956 – 1966 | Succeeded by |