Bruce Watson (politician)
| Dr Bruce Watson B.Sc. PhD FRIC |
|
|---|---|
| Leader of the Scottish National Party | |
| In office 9 June 1945 – May 1947 |
|
| Preceded by | Douglas Young |
| Succeeded by | Robert McIntyre |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 April 1910 Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Invergordon County Hospital, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish National Party |
| Spouse(s) | Johan Angus (m. 1939-1988) |
| Alma mater | University of Aberdeen |
| Profession | Lecturer, Professor (Chemistry) |
Mearns Bruce Watson (April 3, 1910 – May 16, 1988) was a Scottish organic chemist and Scottish National Party politician. He was the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 1945 to 1947.
Watson was born in Rubislaw, Aberdeen, the son of Mearns Watson snr, a fruit salesman. He studied chemistry at the University of Aberdeen, and later taught there as an assistant lecturer in chemistry, and then as professor of organic chemistry.[1] In 1945, the SNP Chairman Douglas Young resigned after the party banned members from also holding membership of British political parties.[2] Watson held that attempting to win self-government through British parties was a waste of time,[3] and took up the vacant party chairmanship without facing a challenge.[2]
In 1946, Watson chaired a large conference in Perth which demanded self-government for Scotland.[4] In 1947, he stood down from the Chairmanship of the SNP in order that he could be succeeded by Robert McIntyre, a former Member of Parliament and the best-known figure in the party.[2]
Based in Aberdeen, Watson remained active in the SNP into the 1960s.[5]
References
- ↑ Peter Lynch, SNP: the history of the Scottish National Party, p.4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Jim Lynch, Strategies for Self-government ISBN 0-7486-6113-1
- ↑ "Scottish National Party Demands Self Government", St. Petersburg Times, 29 May 1946
- ↑ Jim Lynch, "Correction", Scots Independent, 9 November 2001
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chairman (Leader) of the Scottish National Party 1945–1947 |
Succeeded by Robert McIntyre |
