William Ross, Baron Ross of Marnock

William "Willie" Ross, Baron Ross of Marnock , MBE (* 7. April 1911 in Ayr , Ayrshire , Scotland ; † 10. June 1988 ) was a British politician of the Labor Party and longtime Scotland minister ( Secretary of State for Scotland ).

biography

The son of a train driver studied after attending Ayr Academy at the University of Glasgow and worked as a teacher after completing his studies . During the Second World War he did his military service in the Highland Light Infantry in India , Burma and Singapore and was most recently as a major officer at the headquarters of Louis Mountbatten in Ceylon . For his services he was appointed a member of the Order of the British Empire in 1945.

His political career began in 1946 when he was a candidate of the Labor Party in a by-election ( by-election ) as a member of the lower house (House of Commons) was chosen and this until 1979 constituency Kilmarnock represented.

In October 1964 he was first appointed Secretary of State for Scotland by Prime Minister Harold Wilson and held this office until the end of Wilson's first term in June 1970. Between March 1974 and April 1976 he was again Scotland Minister in the second administration of Harold Wilson. He was the Scotland Minister with the longest term in office.

As Scotland minister, he was responsible for the founding of the development agency for the Highlands and Islands ( Highlands and Islands Development Board ) and the Scottish Development Agency ( Scottish Development Agency ).

After leaving the House of Commons, he was raised to the nobility on July 24, 1979 as a Life Peer with the title of Baron Ross of Marnock, of Kilmarnock in the District of Kilmarnock and Loudoun , and as such belonged to the House of Lords until his death (House of Lords) .

swell

• CHAMBERS Biographical Dictionary , pp. 1308, 2002, ISBN 0-550-10051-2

Individual evidence

1. ^ William Ross, Baron Ross of Marnock, on thepeerage.com , accessed August 18, 2015.