Donald Dewar information

The Right Honourable
Donald Dewar
The Right Honourable Donald Dewar
	Dewar in 2000
First Minister of Scotland
	In office; 17 May 1999 – 11 October 2000
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Deputy	Jim Wallace
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Henry McLeish
Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland
	In office; 7 May 1999 – 11 October 2000
UK party leader	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Henry McLeish
Secretary of State for Scotland
	In office; 2 May 1997 – 17 May 1999
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Michael Forsyth
Succeeded by	John Reid
Leader
Shadow Cabinet posts
Opposition Chief Whip of the House of Commons
	In office; 19 October 1995 – 2 May 1997
Leader	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Derek Foster
Succeeded by	Alastair Goodlad
Shadow Secretary of State for Social Security
	In office; 24 July 1992 – 19 October 1995
Leader	John Smith; Margaret Beckett (acting); Tony Blair
Preceded by	Michael Meacher
Succeeded by	Chris Smith
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
	In office; 31 October 1983 – 24 July 1992
Leader	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	Bruce Millan
Succeeded by	Tom Clarke
Preceded by
Parliamentary offices
Member of the Scottish Parliament; for Glasgow Anniesland
	In office; 6 May 1999 – 11 October 2000
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Bill Butler
Member of Parliament; for Glasgow Anniesland; Glasgow Garscadden (1978–1997)
	In office; 13 April 1978 – 11 October 2000
Preceded by	William Small
Succeeded by	John Robertson
Member of Parliament; for Aberdeen South
	In office; 31 March 1966 – 29 May 1970
Preceded by	Priscilla Buchan
Succeeded by	Iain Sproat
Personal details
Born	Donald Campbell Dewar; 21 August 1937; Glasgow, Scotland
Died	11 October 2000 (aged 63); Edinburgh, Scotland
Cause of death	Cerebral hemorrhage
Political party	Scottish Labour
Spouse	Alison McNair (m. 1964; div. 1973)
Children	2
Education	University of Glasgow
Signature

Donald Campbell Dewar (21 August 1937 – 11 October 2000) was a Scottish statesman and politician who served as the inaugural first minister of Scotland and leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 1999 until his death in 2000. He previously served as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997 to 1999. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Anniesland (formerly Glasgow Garscadden) from 1978 to 2000.^[1] Dewar was also Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the equivalent seat from 1999 to 2000.^[2]

Born in Glasgow, Dewar studied history, and later law, at the University of Glasgow. Before entering politics, he worked as a solicitor in Glasgow. At the age of 28, he was elected to the British House of Commons, representing Aberdeen South from 1966 to 1970. After losing his seat, he returned to law and hosted his own Friday evening talk show on Radio Clyde. Dewar was re-elected in the 1978 Glasgow Garscadden by-election and served as the MP until his death in 2000. Following Labour's landslide victory in 1997, he was appointed Secretary of State for Scotland by Prime Minister Tony Blair. As the Scottish secretary, he was an advocate of Scottish devolution, and campaigned for a Scottish Parliament in the 1997 Scottish devolution referendum. Following a successful campaign, Dewar worked on creating the Scotland Act 1998.

Dewar led the Labour campaign through the first Scottish Parliament election and was elected a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Anniesland. On 7 May 1999, he was appointed Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland and he led coalition talks with the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Following successful talks, the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition was announced. Dewar was elected as first minister on 13 May 1999, by a vote of the parliament, and formed the first Scottish Executive cabinet. As first minister, he set out the legislative programme for the Executive which included: an Education bill to improve standards in Scottish schools; land reform to give right of access to the countryside, a bill to abolish the feudal system of land tenure; and a bill to establish national parks in Scotland.^[3]

On 10 October 2000, Dewar sustained a fall, and the following day he died of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 63 while still in office. Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace served as the acting first minister, until Henry McLeish was announced to succeed Dewar. Often regarded as the "Father of the Nation", Dewar is known for his work and commitment to the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament and being the inaugural first minister of Scotland.

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^ "Parliamentary career for Donald Dewar - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "Donald Dewar". www.parliament.scot. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] "Parliamentary career for Donald Dewar - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[3] "Donald Dewar". www.parliament.scot. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[:0-4] Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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