Secretary of State for Scotland.html |
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| Secretary of State for Scotland | |
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| Incumbent: Jim Murphy MP Took office: 3 October 2008 |
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| Style: | The Right Honourable |
| Appointed by: | Gordon Brown as Prime Minister |
| First : | James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry |
| Formation: | (3 February 1709) |
| Scotland |
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This article is part of the series: |
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Scotland in the UK
Scotland in the EU
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Other countries · Atlas Politics portal |
The Secretary of State for Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba) is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office (formerly the Scottish Office), a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns,citation needed but was abolished in 1746, following the Jacobite rebellion. Scottish affairs thereafter were managed by the Lord Advocate until 1827, when responsibility passed to the Home Office.
In 1885 the post of Secretary for Scotland was re-created, with the incumbent usually (though not always) in the Cabinet. In 1926 this post was upgraded to a full Secretary of State appointment.
The 1999 Scottish devolution has meant the Scottish Office's powers were divided, with most transferred to the Scottish Executive or to other UK Government departments, leaving only a limited role for the Scotland Office. Consequently the role of Secretary of State for Scotland has been diminished. The previous Scottish Secretary, Des Browne held the post whilst simultaneously (and separately) being Secretary of State for Defence. On 3 October 2008, Des Browne resigned from both cabinet positions and was replaced as Secretary of State for Scotland by Jim Murphy.
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Secretary of State in Scotland after the Union
- John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar (1705 - 3 February 1709)
Secretaries of State for Scotland 1707-1746
- James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry (3 February 1709 - 6 July 1711) (Died in office)
- John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar (30 September 1713 - 24 September 1714)
- James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose (24 September 1714 - August 1715) (Resigned)
- John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe (13 December 1716 - August 1725) (Resigned)
- Office thereafter vacant. One reference book claims Charles Douglas, 2nd Earl of Selkirk had this office from 1731 but there is no other authority for this claim.
- John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale (16 February 1742 - 3 January 1746) (Resigned)
- Office thereafter vacant
Secretaries for Scotland
All Secretaries for Scotland also held the post of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, ex officio.
- Duke of Richmond and Gordon (17 August 1885 - 28 January 1886)
- George Otto Trevelyan (8 February 1886 - March, 1886) (Resigned)
- Earl of Dalhousie (5 April 1886 - 20 July 1886)
- Arthur Balfour (5 August 1886 - 11 March 1887)
- Marquess of Lothian (11 March 1887 - 11 August 1892)
- George Otto Trevelyan (18 August 1892 - 21 June 1895)
- Lord Balfour of Burleigh (29 June 1895 - 9 October 1903) (Resigned)
- Andrew Murray (9 October 1903 - 2 February 1905)
- Marquess of Linlithgow (2 February 1905 - 4 December 1905)
- John Sinclair (1st Baron Pentland 1909) (10 December 1905 - 13 February 1912)
- Thomas McKinnon Wood (13 February 1912 - 9 July 1916)
- Harold Tennant (9 July 1916 - 5 December 1916)
- Robert Munro (10 December 1916 - 19 October 1922)
- Viscount Novar (24 October 1922 - 22 January 1924)
- William Adamson (22 January 1924 - 3 November 1924)
- Sir John Gilmour (6 November 1924 - 26 July 1926)
Secretaries of State for Scotland
The post of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland was held ex officio by Secretaries of State for Scotland from 1926-1999 only; so Secretaries of State for Scotland after Donald Dewar were/are not Keepers of the Great Seal, that post now being held by the First Ministers of Scotland.
- Sir John Gilmour (15 July 1926 - 4 June 1929)
- William Adamson (7 June 1929 - 24 August 1931)
- Sir Archibald Sinclair (25 August 1931 - 28 September 1932) (Resigned)
- Sir Godfrey Collins (28 September 1932 - 29 October 1936)
- Walter Elliot (29 October 1936 - 16 May 1938)
- John Colville (6 May 1938 - 10 May 1940)
- Ernest Brown (14 May 1940 - 8 February 1941)
- Thomas Johnston (8 February 1941 - 23 May 1945)
- Harry Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery (25 May 1945 - 26 July 1945)
- Joseph Westwood (3 August 1945 - 7 October 1947)
- Arthur Woodburn (7 October 1947 - 28 February 1950)
- Hector McNeil (28 February 1950 - 26 October 1951)
- James Stuart (30 October 1951 - 13 January 1957)
- John Maclay (13 January 1957 - 13 July 1962)
- Michael Noble (13 July 1962 - 16 October 1964)
- William Ross (18 October 1964 - 19 June 1970)
- Gordon Campbell (20 June 1970 - 4 March 1974)
- William Ross (5 March 1974 - 8 April 1976)
- Bruce Millan (8 April 1976 - 4 May 1979)
- George Younger (5 May 1979 - 11 January 1986)
- Malcolm Rifkind (11 January 1986 - 28 November 1990)
- Ian Lang (28 November 1990 - 5 July 1995)
- Michael Forsyth (5 July 1995 - 2 May 1997)
- Donald Dewar (3 May 1997 - 17 May 1999)
- John Reid (17 May 1999 - 25 January 2001)
- Helen Liddell (25 January 2001 - 13 June 2003)
- Alistair Darling (13 June 2003- 5 May 2006)
- Douglas Alexander (5 May 2006-27 June 2007)
- Des Browne (28 June 2007 - 3 October 2008)
- Jim Murphy (3 October 2008 - present)
References
Torrance, David, The Scottish Secretaries (Birlinn 2006)
See also
External links
- www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk - Official website of the Scotland Office
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