Douglas Henderson
Encyclopedia
Douglas Henderson was a Scottish
politician. He served as a Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Scottish National Party
(SNP), representing the East Aberdeenshire
constituency from February 1974 to March 1979, and held virtually every national office in the SNP, short of party leader. His political style has been described as "no-nonsense" and "very blunt and forthright". He is also known for his forceful public speaking, which SNP leader Alex Salmond
has described as "messianic".
. He was educated at the Royal High School
and attended the University of Edinburgh
from 1952 to 1957, leaving with an MA and LLB. He became a supporter of Scottish independence
at an early age, and joined the SNP aged 14. He was President of the Edinburgh University Nationalist Club.
He worked as a management consultant in the UK and overseas. He married Maureen Ferguson in Johannesburg
in 1960 and had four children, but they were later divorced. In later life, his home and business partner was English
fashion designer Betty Davies; together, they founded Scottish Fashion International.
In later years, he regularly attended St Giles Cathedral, where his funeral was held on 7 October 2006.
from 1963 to 1965, and was Senior Vice-Chairman (deputy leader) of the SNP from 1970 to 1972,. He was selected as the SNP candidate for East Aberdeenshire
in 1972, and moved to live in the constituency, developing links with local fishermen, farmers and businessmen. He was elected at the February 1974 general election
, and re-elected in the October general election
later that year. The SNP were in the ascendent, campaigning on the basis of "Scotland's oil
".
Henderson served as the whip
and was a leading member of the group of 11 SNP MPs in the House of Commons. In 1975, he negotiated a position for the SNP's Winnie Ewing
in the British delegation to the European Parliament
, where she became known as "Madame Ecosse". He was later the SNP spokesman on employment and industry. He was instrumental in the SNP's decision to lay down a censure motion in the House of Commons, criticising the Labour
government of James Callaghan
after the 1 March 1979 referendum vote on Scottish devolution failed to be approved by the required 40% of the electorate. At the time, the Labour government were reliant upon support from the SNP. The motion was carried by one vote on 28 March and Callaghan immediately called the general election which brought the Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher
to power. Callaghan described the actions of the SNP as "turkeys voting for Christmas
". Henderson lost his seat to Conservative Albert McQuarrie
in the 1979 general election
by less than 600 votes, and only two MPs from the SNP remained in the new Parliament.
He returned to his business career, but with less success than the 1960s. At the SNP Conference in 1979, he was elected the party's Senior Vice-Chairman (now described as deputy leader) (to leader Gordon Wilson
), defeating Margo MacDonald
for the post. He remained in this position until 1981, when he stood down on health grounds.
He fought the new seat of Banff and Buchan
, which had largely replaced Aberdeenshire East in the 1983 general election
, again losing to Albert McQuarrie by less than 1,000 votes. Future SNP leader Alex Salmond
would represent this constituency from 1987, and it is has since become a safe SNP seat with five-figure majorities. He also suffered in his private life, being divorced in the early 1980s.
, and then several months of chemotherapy
, before he was able to resume his political duties for the SNP.
He contested the 2004 European Parliament election for the SNP but was not elected as he was placed fourth on the party's list and they gained only two seats. He also contested the Dumfries and Galloway
seat at the 2005 general election
, finishing third behind Russell Brown
, the Labour
candidate and Peter Duncan
the Conservative
candidate.
In September 2005, following the retirement of Dr Winnie Ewing
, he stood for the post of SNP President, polling 129 votes (30.00 %) compared to 235 votes (54.65 %) for Ian Hudghton
, Member of the European Parliament
, and 66 votes (15.35 %) for onetime president William Wolfe
. He was however successful in being elected as one of six ordinary members of the SNP's National Executive Committee.
He was selected to fight the Falkirk East
constituency for the Scottish Parliament election, 2007
, and was ranked fourth on the SNP's Central Scotland
regional list. He died after a short illness in 2006, before the election could take place.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
politician. He served as a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
(SNP), representing the East Aberdeenshire
East Aberdeenshire (UK Parliament constituency)
East Aberdeenshire was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1918 and form 1950 to 1983...
constituency from February 1974 to March 1979, and held virtually every national office in the SNP, short of party leader. His political style has been described as "no-nonsense" and "very blunt and forthright". He is also known for his forceful public speaking, which SNP leader Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
has described as "messianic".
Early and private life
Henderson was born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. He was educated at the Royal High School
Royal High School (Edinburgh)
The Royal High School of Edinburgh is a co-educational state school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, and has, throughout its history, been high achieving, consistently attaining well above average exam results...
and attended the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
from 1952 to 1957, leaving with an MA and LLB. He became a supporter of Scottish independence
Scottish independence
Scottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
at an early age, and joined the SNP aged 14. He was President of the Edinburgh University Nationalist Club.
He worked as a management consultant in the UK and overseas. He married Maureen Ferguson in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
in 1960 and had four children, but they were later divorced. In later life, his home and business partner was English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
fashion designer Betty Davies; together, they founded Scottish Fashion International.
In later years, he regularly attended St Giles Cathedral, where his funeral was held on 7 October 2006.
Early career (1970-1983)
Henderson became heavily involved with the SNP after he returned to Scotland from South Africa in the mid-1960s. He was also the director of programmes for Radio Free ScotlandRadio Free Scotland
Between 1956-1965 Radio Free Scotland broadcast through the sound channel of BBC television after God Save the Queen finished in the evening, and, later on, on 262 metres medium wave on the radio....
from 1963 to 1965, and was Senior Vice-Chairman (deputy leader) of the SNP from 1970 to 1972,. He was selected as the SNP candidate for East Aberdeenshire
East Aberdeenshire (UK Parliament constituency)
East Aberdeenshire was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1918 and form 1950 to 1983...
in 1972, and moved to live in the constituency, developing links with local fishermen, farmers and businessmen. He was elected at the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, and re-elected in the October general election
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
later that year. The SNP were in the ascendent, campaigning on the basis of "Scotland's oil
North Sea oil
North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid oil and natural gas, produced from oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea.In the oil industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian Sea and the area known as "West of Shetland", "the Atlantic Frontier" or "the...
".
Henderson served as the whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
and was a leading member of the group of 11 SNP MPs in the House of Commons. In 1975, he negotiated a position for the SNP's Winnie Ewing
Winnie Ewing
Winifred Margaret 'Winnie' Ewing is a Scottish nationalist, lawyer and prominent SNP politician who was formerly a Member of Parliament , Member of the European Parliament and Member of the Scottish Parliament...
in the British delegation to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, where she became known as "Madame Ecosse". He was later the SNP spokesman on employment and industry. He was instrumental in the SNP's decision to lay down a censure motion in the House of Commons, criticising the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
government of James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
after the 1 March 1979 referendum vote on Scottish devolution failed to be approved by the required 40% of the electorate. At the time, the Labour government were reliant upon support from the SNP. The motion was carried by one vote on 28 March and Callaghan immediately called the general election which brought the Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
to power. Callaghan described the actions of the SNP as "turkeys voting for Christmas
Turkeys voting for Christmas
Turkeys voting for Christmas is a cliché used as a metaphor or simile in reference to a suicidal political act, especially a vote.The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations writes that a commentator in the Independent Magazine traced the...
". Henderson lost his seat to Conservative Albert McQuarrie
Albert McQuarrie
Sir Albert McQuarrie is a British Conservative politician.McQuarrie was born in Greenock. He was educated at Greenock High School and the Royal College of Science and Technology, Glasgow...
in the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
by less than 600 votes, and only two MPs from the SNP remained in the new Parliament.
He returned to his business career, but with less success than the 1960s. At the SNP Conference in 1979, he was elected the party's Senior Vice-Chairman (now described as deputy leader) (to leader Gordon Wilson
Gordon Wilson (Scottish politician)
Gordon Wilson is a former leader of the Scottish National Party and current leading figure in the campaign to ban same-sex marriage in Scotland...
), defeating Margo MacDonald
Margo MacDonald
Margo MacDonald MSP is a Scottish politician and former Scottish National Party MP and Deputy Leader...
for the post. He remained in this position until 1981, when he stood down on health grounds.
He fought the new seat of Banff and Buchan
Banff and Buchan (UK Parliament constituency)
Banff and Buchan is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the north-east of Scotland within the Aberdeenshire council area...
, which had largely replaced Aberdeenshire East in the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, again losing to Albert McQuarrie by less than 1,000 votes. Future SNP leader Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
would represent this constituency from 1987, and it is has since become a safe SNP seat with five-figure majorities. He also suffered in his private life, being divorced in the early 1980s.
Later revival (1998-2006)
He was out of active politics for a long period as a result of misdiagnosed illness. He had a major operation in 1998 for cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, and then several months of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
, before he was able to resume his political duties for the SNP.
He contested the 2004 European Parliament election for the SNP but was not elected as he was placed fourth on the party's list and they gained only two seats. He also contested the Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway (UK Parliament constituency)
Dumfries and Galloway is a county constituency of in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was first used in the 2005 general election, and replaced Galloway and Upper Nithsdale and part of Dumfries, and it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post...
seat at the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, finishing third behind Russell Brown
Russell Brown
Russell Leslie Brown is a Scottish Labour Party politician. He is Member of Parliament for Dumfries and Galloway.-Early years :Russell Brown was born in Annan, Scotland, and attended the local Annan Academy...
, the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate and Peter Duncan
Peter Duncan (politician)
Peter John Duncan is a British politician. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale from 2001 to 2005.-Early life:...
the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate.
In September 2005, following the retirement of Dr Winnie Ewing
Winnie Ewing
Winifred Margaret 'Winnie' Ewing is a Scottish nationalist, lawyer and prominent SNP politician who was formerly a Member of Parliament , Member of the European Parliament and Member of the Scottish Parliament...
, he stood for the post of SNP President, polling 129 votes (30.00 %) compared to 235 votes (54.65 %) for Ian Hudghton
Ian Hudghton
Ian Stewart Hudghton is a Scottish politician, and has been a Scottish National Party Member of the European Parliament for Scotland since 1998, when he won his seat in a rare European Parliamentary by-election, after the death of sitting SNP MEP Allan Macartney.Since the 2004 European elections,...
, Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
, and 66 votes (15.35 %) for onetime president William Wolfe
William Wolfe
William Cuthbertson "Billy" Wolfe was the leader of the Scottish National Party from 1969 to 1979...
. He was however successful in being elected as one of six ordinary members of the SNP's National Executive Committee.
He was selected to fight the Falkirk East
Falkirk East (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Falkirk East is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
constituency for the Scottish Parliament election, 2007
Scottish Parliament election, 2007
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999...
, and was ranked fourth on the SNP's Central Scotland
Central Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
Central Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. Ten of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament...
regional list. He died after a short illness in 2006, before the election could take place.