Sir Donald Maclean (9 January 1864 – 15 June 1932) was a British Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was Leader of the Opposition between 1919 and 1920 and served in the Cabinet of Ramsay MacDonald's National Government as President of the Board of Education from 1931 until his death in June the following year.

Early life and career Born in Farnworth, near Bolton, Lancashire, Maclean was the eldest son of John Maclean, a cordwainer originally of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides, and his wife Agnes Macmillan.‘MACLEAN, Rt. Hon. Sir Donald’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 17 March 2014 His younger brother was Sir Ewen Maclean.

Maclean practiced as a solicitor with practices in Cardiff and Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. A member of the Presbyterian Church of England, he was vice-president of the Cardiff Free Church Council in 1902–3, and also worked closely with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Political career He was a last-minute choice as one of the Liberal Party candidates in Bath at the 1900 general election, but was defeated at the polls."The Popular Guide to the House of Commons" (Pall Mall Gazette "Extra"), February 1906, p. 48. At the 1906 general election, he stood again and was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament for the constituency. Whilst an MP, he voted in favour of the 1908 Women's Enfranchisement Bill.

He lost his seat at the January 1910 general election, but moved constituency at the December 1910 general election and was returned for Peebles and Selkirk,"The Popular Guide to the House of Commons" (Pall Mall Gazette "Extra"), January 1911, p. 136. a seat he held until 1918. He then represented Peebles and Southern Midlothian between 1918 and 1922, losing in the 1922 United Kingdom general election, and then the Northern Division of Cornwall between 1929 and 1932. He also unsuccessfully contested Kilmarnock in 1923 and Cardiff East in 1924.

Maclean was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1916, and was knighted in 1917.London Gazette Issue 30250 published on 24 August 1917. Page 5 He was Leader of the Liberal Parliamentary Party from 1918 to 1920, as the leader of the Liberal Party, H. H. Asquith had lost his seat in the House of Commons. For those two years he also served as Leader of the Opposition, while Labour had no official leader and Sinn Féin had proclaimed the Irish Republic and the First Dail.Douglas in The History of the Liberal Party 1895–1970 observes that "The technical question whether the Leader of the Opposition was Maclean or William Adamson, Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, was never fully resolved ... The fact that Adamson did not press his claim for Opposition leadership is of more than technical interest, for it shows that the Labour Party was still not taking itself seriously as a likely alternative government"

Towards the end of his life, Maclean joined the National Government headed by Ramsay MacDonald. He served as President of the Board of Education from 1931 to 1932.Robert Cecil (1988) A Divided Life - A Biography of Donald Maclean. the University of Michigan. p. 20.

Elections contested UK Parliament elections Date of election Constituency Party Votes % Result 1906 Bath Liberal 4,102 28.5* Elected 1910 (Jan) Bath Liberal 3,771 24.5* Not elected (2nd) 1910 (Dec) Peebles and Selkirk Liberal 1,965 52.7 Elected 1918 Peebles and Southern Midlothian Liberal 7,429 60.6 Elected 1922 Peebles and Southern Midlothian Liberal 5,377 30.3 Not elected (3rd) 1923 Kilmarnock Liberal 8,185 32.1 Not elected (2nd) 1924 Cardiff East Liberal 6,684 26.9 Not elected (3rd) 1929 North Cornwall Liberal 16,586 49.7 Elected 1931 North Cornwall Liberal 16,867 49.1 Elected

Personal life and death

Maclean married Gwendolen Margaret Devitt (26 September 1880 – 23 July 1962), daughter of Andrew Devitt (1850–1931) and Jane Dales Morrison (1856–1947), on 2 October 1907. They are buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church, Penn, Buckinghamshire, together with their eldest son, Ian. The diplomat and spy, Donald Duart Maclean, was another of his sons; his ashes are also buried there. The couple also had two more sons and a daughter.

He died from cardiovascular disease on 15 June 1932 at the age of sixty-eight. His memorial service at St. Margaret's on 20 June was absolutely crowded.

References

Bibliography History of the Liberal Party 1895–1970, by Roy Douglas (Sidgwick & Jackson 1971) Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919–1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)

External links

Donald MacLean & the 1919 Treaty of Peace Act - UK Parliament Living Heritage Biography at liberalhistory.org.uk