Thomas Cassells
Encyclopedia
Thomas Cassells was a Labour Party
politician in Scotland
who served as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Dunbartonshire
from 1936 to 1941.
He won the seat at a by-election
in March 1936, when his predecessor resigned
to become Governor of Burma. A solicitor by training, Cassells held the seat until his appointment in 1941 as a Sheriff-substitute
of Inverness, Elgin and Nairn, when he was succeeded at a by-election
by Adam McKinlay
. He also served as Dean of Guild
for the Burgh for Falkirk.
Thomas Cassells was educated at Hamilton Academy
where one of his teachers had been Robert Gibson, himself a former pupil of the school, and who was also to serve as a Labour MP (for Greenock) and over the same period, 1936-41. From the Academy, Cassells studied at both Glasgow
and Edinburgh universities
. He was McFarlane Scholar in Law at Glasgow.
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...
politician in Scotland
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...
who served as 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 Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Dunbartonshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950...
from 1936 to 1941.
He won the seat at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in March 1936, when his predecessor resigned
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
to become Governor of Burma. A solicitor by training, Cassells held the seat until his appointment in 1941 as a Sheriff-substitute
Sheriff-substitute
A Sheriff-substitute is an official appointed under the law of Scotland to perform the judicial duties normally undertaken by the Sheriff principal. The Sheriff-substitute is also known as 'Sheriff depute' or simply 'Sheriff'. According to the as amended by the Sheriff Courts Act 1971 , s. 4:"17...
of Inverness, Elgin and Nairn, when he was succeeded at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
by Adam McKinlay
Adam McKinlay
Adam Storey McKinlay was a Scottish Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1929 to 1931, and from 1941 to 1950....
. He also served as Dean of Guild
Dean of Guild
A Dean of Guild, under Scots law, was a burgh magistrate who, in later years, had the care of buildings.Originally, the post was held by the head of the Guild brethren of Scottish towns, and dates back to the 12th century. Later, the phrase Dean of Guild also described the courts set up in the 14th...
for the Burgh for Falkirk.
Thomas Cassells was educated at Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy was a school situated in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.Described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the Cambridge University Press County Biography of 1910, Hamilton Academy featured in the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association Magazine article series on...
where one of his teachers had been Robert Gibson, himself a former pupil of the school, and who was also to serve as a Labour MP (for Greenock) and over the same period, 1936-41. From the Academy, Cassells studied at both Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
and Edinburgh universities
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...
. He was McFarlane Scholar in Law at Glasgow.