Gordon Wilson (Scottish politician)
| Gordon Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Scottish National Party | |
|
In office 15 September 1979 – 22 September 1990 |
|
| Preceded by | William Wolfe |
| Succeeded by | Alex Salmond |
| Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party | |
|
In office 1973–1974 |
|
| Leader | William Wolfe |
| Preceded by | Douglas Henderson |
| Succeeded by | Margo MacDonald |
|
Member of Parliament for Dundee East |
|
|
In office 28 February 1974 – 11 June 1987 |
|
| Preceded by | George Machin |
| Succeeded by | John McAllion |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Robert Gordon Wilson 16 April 1938 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish National Party |
| Spouse(s) | Edith Hassall (m. 1965) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Profession | Solicitor |
| Religion | Church of Scotland |
Robert Gordon Wilson (born 16 April 1938) is a Scottish politician and solicitor. He was the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 1979 to 1990, and was SNP Member of Parliament for Dundee East from 1974 to 1987.
Wilson was born in Govan, Glasgow, the son of Elizabeth Murray and Robert George Wilson, a butcher's' van driver. He was educated at Douglas High School for Boys, on the Isle of Man, and the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree. Following graduation, Wilson qualified as a solicitor, and worked for T.F. Reid Solicitors in Paisley from 1963 until his election as an MP in 1974.
Gordon Wilson joined the Scottish National Party in the late 1950s. Before his successes in electoral politics, he was co-founder and Director of Programmes of the political pirate radio station Radio Free Scotland, whose activities are described in his book, Pirates of the Air. Wilson served as Assistant National Secretary of the SNP from 1963 to 1964, as National Secretary from 1964 to 1971, and was vice-chairman of the SNP Oil Campaign Committee, which was responsible for the party's iconic It's Scotland's oil campaign. It was Wilson who coined the slogan.
Wilson was Executive Vice-Chairman 1972-1973, and stood as the SNP parliamentary candidate at the Dundee East by-election in March 1973, where he was narrowly defeated. Later that year, at the SNP Annual National Conference, he was elected as Senior Vice-Chairman (deputy leader) of the SNP, an office he held until the following June, when Margo MacDonald was elected as deputy leader.
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