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Joseph Grimond, Baron Grimond (29 July 1913 – 24 October 1993) was a British politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party from 1956 to 1967, and again as interim leader during 1976.
Grimond is credited with the "salvation of the movement" that would in time become the Liberal Democrats.[1]
Early life
[edit]Joseph Grimond was born in St Andrews, Fife, on 29 July 1913.[2] His family had prospered in the jute trade.[2]
Grimond was educated at Eton College.[2] He later attended Balliol College as a Brackenbury Scholar, and graduated with a first in Modern Greats (Philosophy, Politics and Economics).[2]
Early career
[edit]During the 1935 general election, Grimond worked for Arthur Irvine, who was at the time a candidate for the Liberal Party.[2]
During this period, he worked for a cooperative club in Dundee which helped the unemployed by buying fish cheap and selling it to them at the same low price.[2]
Grimond was called to the bar in 1937, and worked in the same chambers as Quintin Hogg.[2]
Political career
[edit]In 1940, Grimond was invited to become the prospective Liberal Party candidate for Orkney and Shetland, which had been in Unionist Party hands since 1935.[2]
During World War II, he served as a member of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry,[2] where he reached the rank of Major.[3] However, he was released in order to fight the Orkney and Shetland seat in the 1945 general election.[2] He came close to winning the seat,[2] receiving 5,975 votes compared to Basil Neven-Spence's 6,304 votes: the Labour Party candidate received 5,208 votes.[4]
Grimond then served as director of personnel at the European office of United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.[2] He also worked as secretary of the National Trust for Scotland.[2]
Member of Parliament
[edit]At the 1950 general election, Grimond won Orkney and Shetland with a majority of almost 3,000 votes.[2] In March 1950, he was appointed Liberal Chief Whip as the successor of Frank Byers.[5]
Grimond was a supporter of devolution and called for Scottish governance in all domestic matters.[6] He called for better job opportunities, infrastructure, transport, and resources for the islands he represented.[7]
At the 1951 general election, Grimond doubled his majority to over 6,000 votes.[2]
Liberal Party leadership
[edit]Following his resignation at the 1956 Liberal Assembly,[2] Grimond replaced the "ageing and uninspiring" Clement Davies as leader of the Liberal Party.[8]: 300
With Grimond as leader, the party rebuilt its constituencies organisations and improved its finances.[8]: 300 The party gradually moved leftwards and became more radical than the Labour Party which was in power during the 1960s.[2]
The Liberal Party saw an increase in popularity during the period. Its number of parliamentary candidates increased from 110 in 1955 to 216 in 1959,[8]: 300 and Grimond's brother-in-law Mark Bonham Carter was successful in winning the 1958 Torrington by-election against the Conservative Party.[2] The Liberals came second in three other important by-elections throughout the period.[2]
In 1961, he was installed as Rector for the University of Edinburgh.[2]
In June 1964, Grimond informed The Guardian that he would consider a coalition with the Labour Party in return for "serious agreement on long-term policies" and a shift of defence from "East of Suez" to Europe.[2] The coalition did not come to fruition, however, and Harold Wilson secured a larger majority at the election that year.[2] The Liberal Party won 12 seats and received 11.2% of the vote, its best for more than 30 years.[9]
In the 1966 general election, the Liberal Party increased its number of seats to 12.[9]
Grimond was succeeded as leader by Jeremy Thorpe.[2] During the Thorpe affair, Grimond took over as interim leader in 1976 until David Steel took over full time.[2]
Suez Crisis
[edit]As leader, Grimond adopted an anti-Suez Crisis stance.[2]
He was one of several politicians making repeated calls for an official inquiry into the Suez Crisis. He worked with Labour MP Ben Whitaker in supporting Michael Foot's 4 August 1966 early day motion, which referred to the Eden ministry's "collusive activities".[10]: 623 On 12 July 1967, he co-sponsored another early day motion alongside Michael Foot, which called for an official history and inquiry on the crisis.[10]: 631 Harold Wilson denied both requests.[10]: 631
Retirement
[edit]In 1983, Grimond was created a life peer as Baron Grimond, and began sitting in the House of Lords.[2]
Personal life
[edit]In 1938, Grimond married Laura Bonham-Carter.[11]: 152 Her mother Violet was president of the Women's Liberal Federation and the daughter of former prime minister H. H. Asquith, while her father Maurice had been Asquith's Principal Private Secretary.
His mother-in-law was influential in his parliamentary campaigns.[12]
Grimond and his wife had four children:[11]: 152
- Jasper John "Johnny" Grimond, former foreign editor of The Economist. His wife, Kate, was the daughter of Peter Fleming and Celia Johnson. They had three daughters.[13]
Following his election, the family moved to Orkney.[11]: 152 Their Kirkwall house, the Old Manse, had been purchased during the 1945 election.[2] It was surrounded by a 100-acre farm known as the Glebe.[13]
Grimond died on 24 October 1993.[2] His funeral was held at St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.[13]
Legacy
[edit]Grimond has been seen as an idol for many members of the Liberal Party and its successors. Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk, described him as "a great liberal thinker - a radical - who was all about giving power to people".[14] Nick Clegg, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, described his leadership as a "Liberal revival".[15] Another former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, called Grimond one of his three heroes alongside C. S. Lewis and Joe Strummer.[16]
Selected works
[edit]| Title | Time of first publication | First edition publisher/publication | Unique identifier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Liberal Future | 1959 | Faber and Faber | OCLC 906142981 | |
| The Liberal Challenge | 1963 | Hollis & Carter | OCLC 70409839 | |
| The Common Welfare | 1978 | Maurice Temple Smith | OCLC 807498934 |
Awards and honours
[edit]- Freedom of Orkney (August 1987; with his wife)[11]: 152
- Life peerage as Baron Grimond (1983)[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Hawkins, Ross (16 July 2015). "Tim Farron faces a tough job as Lib Dem leader". BBC News. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Shrapnel, Norman (26 October 1993). "Joseph Grimond obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "Some Liberal Candidates". The Guardian. 27 March 1945. p. 4. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Orkney & Shetland". The Guardian. 27 July 1945. p. 8. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Liberal Whip". The Guardian. 23 March 1950. p. 6. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Scottish and Welsh Home Rule - and Pensions". The Guardian. 11 March 1950. p. 7. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Bennett, Daniel (11 November 2020). "Why Shetland's empty islands were abandoned". BBC News. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ a b c Nagel, Jack H.; Wlezien, Christopher (2010). "Centre-Party Strength and Major-Party Divergence in Britain, 1945-2005". British Journal of Political Science. 40 (2). ISSN 0007-1234. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ a b "A brief history of Liberal leaders". BBC News. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ a b c Beck, Peter J. (2009). "'The Less Said about Suez the Better': British Governments and the Politics of Suez's History, 1956-67". The English Historical Review. 124 (508). ISSN 0013-8266. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d Ewan, Elizabeth L.; Innes, Sue; Reynolds, Sian; Pipes, Rose. Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-2660-1. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "Liberal Gain". The Guardian. 28 February 1950. p. 6. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ a b c Purvis, Andrew (24 June 2007). "The good food girl". The Observer. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Candidates for the North Norfolk constituency give their views". BBC News. 4 June 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "In quotes: Reaction to Jeremy Thorpe's death". BBC News. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Profile: New Lib Dem leader Tim Farron". BBC News. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2021.