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David Hodge (Labour politician)

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David Hodge
Lord Provost of Glasgow
Preceded byPeter McCann
In office
1977–1980
Succeeded byMichael Kelly
Personal details
Born30 September 1909[1]
Maryhill, Glasgow
Died9 December 1991(1991-12-09) (aged 82)
Political partyScottish Labour Party
Military service
Battles/warsSecond World War
Military career
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branchRAF Coastal Command

David Hodge CBE OStJ DL JP (30 September 1909 – 9 December 1991) was a Scottish politician who was Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1977 to 1980. He was a member of the Scottish Labour Party.

Hodge was born in Glasgow,[2] to David Hodge Sr., an employee at the gasworks, and Sarah Hodge (née Crilly).[1] In his youth he played football for Greenock Morton F.C. before embarking on a career as an insurance agent. In the war he served in RAF Coastal Command.[3]

In 1971, Hodge joined the Glasgow City Council. He later served as chairman of the magistrates committee and then as chairman of the licensing committee in 1974 after a reorganisation of the local government. He served as chairman of Glasgow Constituency Labour Party before becoming Lord Provost of Glasgow from May 1977 to 1980. He was one of the most popular lord provosts and enjoyed a high public profile. He was later credited with helping to lay the foundation for increasing tourism to the city.[3]

Hodge became Lord Provost in the midst of a period of political uncertainty. The 1977 elections for Glasgow District Council saw Labour lose their majority, but they were still the largest party on the council with 30 seats to the Conservatives 25. Labour decided not to try retain power rejecting the possibility of coalition deals with either the Conservatives or the SNP. This seemed to pave the way for the Conservatives to try to form a minority administration, although they also refused to work with the SNP. However Labour did decide to nominate Hodge as a candidate for Lord Provost.[4] When the Council met on 9 May 1977 SNP abstentions meant that Hodge was elected as Lord Provost over the Conservatives Jack Richmond. As the Conservatives had said they would only form an administration if a Conservative held this office, this caused an uncertain situation. Ultimately Richmond urged his colleagues to form an administration nonetheless and they eventually agreed to do this after an internal vote among the Conservative group.[5]

During his term of office he was involved in a memorable April Fools' Day prank, when it was reported that he would be singing in the lead in Scottish Opera's next production of Il Rapolfo.[6] He also unveiled a statue "The Concept of Kentigern".[7]

In 1980, Hodge was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honours and received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Strathclyde.[3][8]

Hodge, who was Roman Catholic,[3] was an Officer of the Order of St John.[9] He and his wife Mary, who died in 1989, had three children together.[3] David was previously married in 1939 to Dorothy Quinn. They had a daughter in 1940 and Dorothy died in 1941 from colon cancer. So in total, he had four daughters.

References

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  1. ^ a b Statutory Register of Births; District of Maryhill, County of Lanark. September 1909.
  2. ^ "A message from the Lord Provost of Glasgow, Mr David Hodge". The Herald. Glasgow. 2 July 1979. p. 11. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Obituary: David Hodge". The Herald. 8 December 1991. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  4. ^ MacCalman, John (6 May 1977). "Labour gives up power". The Glasgow Herald. p. 1. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  5. ^ MacCalman, John (10 May 1977). "Tories rule Glasgow - thanks to one man". The Glasgow Herald. p. 1. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Gentlemen Ranters". Gentlemenranters.com. 26 October 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  7. ^ "Concept of Kentigern". Public Monument and Sculpture Association. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  8. ^ "No. 48059". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 January 1980. p. 290.
  9. ^ "No. 48258". The London Gazette. 23 July 1980. p. 10458.
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