Home > Donald Dewar

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he attended Glasgow Academy before studying at the University of Glasgow, where he gained both LLB and MA degrees. Here, he met John Smith -- who would later become leader of the British Labour Party -- through the debating society. In his time at university he also served as President of the Glasgow University Union.

A member of the Labour Party at both Scottish and national levels, Donald Dewar worked as a solicitorIn the United Kingdom and countries having a similar legal system the legal profession is divided into two kinds of lawyers: the solicitors who contact and advise clients, and barristers who argue cases in court. In cases where a trial is necessary a clie in Glasgow before being elected at the age of 26 to the Parliament of the United KingdomThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty) legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. At its head is the Sovereign; it also includ at Westminster to represent the constituencyElections A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. It can be used to describe a business's customer base and shareholders, or a charity's donors or those it serves. The most common meaning of cons of Aberdeen South.

After a political hiatus during the 1970sMillennia: 1st millennium 2nd millennium 3rd millennium Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Years: 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 Events and trends, Donald Dewar was returned to Westminster as the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Garscadden in 1978Events January January 1 The Copyright Act of 1976 takes effect, making sweeping changes to United States copyright law. January 1 Air India's Boeing 747 explodes near Bombay 213 dead. January 4 Referendum in Chile supports policies of Augusto Pinochet.. He rose quickly through the ranks, becoming a member of the Shadow CabinetThe Shadow Cabinet (also called the Opposition Front Bench is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster System of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition (or the leader of other smaller opposition pa in 1984. By 1995, Donald was a Chief Whip for the Labour Party, and when the Labour Party was declared the majority party in the 1997 election, he was given the post of Secretary of State for Scotland.

By this stage, Donald was in a position which the late John Smith would never have thought possible. He was able to start the devolution process, and worked endlessly on creating the Scotland Act. When ratified, this was to give Scotland its first Parliament for nearly 300 years.

When the first elections for the new Scottish parliament were held in 1999, Donald was returned as the Member for Glasgow Anniesland, and subsequently elected First Minister for the governing Scottish Labour Party/ Liberal Democrat coalition.

A man with endless enthusiasm, after Dewar underwent major open heart surgery in 2000, he returned to his post as First Minister very quickly. Sadly, later that year, he suffered a serious brain hemorrhage which was triggered by the anticoagulant medication he was taking after the surgery. He died a day later, in Edinburgh's Western General Hospital. His funeral service was held at Glasgow Cathedral.

Donald Dewar's work for the Scottish Parliament has led him to be called the " Father of the Nation". He certainly cared deeply for his consitituents, while his slightly unkempt appearance endeared him to many a British citizen.