Albert McQuarrie

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Albert McQuarrie

| predecessor = Constituency established

| predecessor2 = Douglas Henderson

| honorific_prefix = Sir

| party = Conservative Party

| monarch2 = Elizabeth II

| termend2 = 13 May 1983

| termstart2 = 3 May 1979

| monarch = Elizabeth II

| office = Member of Parliament
for Banff and Buchan

| termend = 18 May 1987

| termstart = 9 June 1983

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1918|01|01|df=y}}

| birth_place = Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|01|13|1918|01|01|df=y}}

| death_place = Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

| alma_mater = Royal College of Science and Technology

| office2 = Member of Parliament
for East Aberdeenshire

| succeeded = Alex Salmond

| successor2 = Constituency abolished

}}

Sir Albert McQuarrie (1 January 1918 – 13 January 2016) was a British Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 1987.

Early life

Albert McQuarrie was born on 1 January 1918 in Greenock, Inverclyde.{{Cite news|last=Dalyell|first=Tam|date=17 January 2016|title=Albert McQuarrie: Thatcherite known as ‘the Buchan Bulldog’ for his staunch defence of Scottish fishing industry|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/albert-mcquarrie-thatcherite-known-as-the-buchan-bulldog-for-his-staunch-defence-of-scottish-fishing-industry-a6817456.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501151959/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/albert-mcquarrie-thatcherite-known-as-the-buchan-bulldog-for-his-staunch-defence-of-scottish-fishing-industry-a6817456.html |archive-date=2021-05-01 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=1 May 2021}} McQuarrie was the son of Algernon McQuarrie, a Greenock shipping businessman.

He was educated at Greenock High School and the Royal College of Science and Technology, Glasgow. He became a design consultant and served as a councillor on Greenock Town Council from 1949 to 1955.

Military service

McQuarrie joined the British Army in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II, serving in the Royal Engineers.{{Cite news|date=13 January 2016|title=Obituary: Sir Albert McQuarrie, former politician|work=The Scotsman|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituary-sir-albert-mcquarrie-former-politician-1485641|access-date=1 May 2021}}

Parliamentary career

McQuarrie unsuccessfully contested Kilmarnock in 1966, and Caithness and Sutherland in October 1974. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for East Aberdeenshire from 1979 to 1983, gaining the seat from the Scottish National Party's Douglas Henderson with a majority of only 558.{{cite web | url=http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge79/i01.htm | title=UK General Election Results 1979 | first=Richard | last=Kimber | work=Political Science Resources | access-date=19 June 2009 }} He was then MP for Banff and Buchan from 1983 to 1987, when he lost his seat to future SNP leader Alex Salmond. In the House of Commons he was Chairman of the British Gibraltar All Party Group. He campaigned for the retention of British sovereignty over Gibraltar.{{Cite news|date=13 January 2016|title=Albert McQuarrie, MP - obituary|work=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/12097701/Albert-McQuarrie-MP-obituary.html|access-date=1 May 2021}} McQuarrie was knighted in 1987. McQuarrie died in January 2016 at his home in Mintlaw, aged 98.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-35301011 |title=Former Scottish Conservative MP Sir Albert McQuarrie dies |work=BBC News |date=13 January 2016 |access-date=13 January 2016}} He was nicknamed the "Buchan Bulldog" during his time in Parliament.{{Cite news|date=22 January 2016|title=Sir Albert McQuarrie|work=The Times|url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/sir-albert-mcquarrie-hfwp77dn7zc|access-date=1 May 2021}}