Allan Macartney

Macartney was born in Accra, Gold Coast.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/158233.stm |title=SNP deputy leader dies |work=BBC News |date=25 August 1998|access-date=14 April 2019}} He was the son of a Church of Scotland minister, his family soon returned to Scotland and he was schooled in Elgin, Moray. He studied at the universities of Tübingen and Marburg in Germany, and then at the universities of Edinburgh (graduating in Economic Science in 1962) and Glasgow.

Upon completing his studies he returned to Africa as a voluntary secondary schoolteacher in eastern Nigeria (1963−1964). He then worked as a lecturer in government and administration at the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland from 1966 to 1974. He completed a PhD on the politics of Botswana, supervised by John Mackintosh.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-allan-macartney-1174297.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111011633/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-allan-macartney-1174297.html |archive-date=2012-11-11 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title=Obituary: Allan Macartney |first=Neil |last=MacCormick |work=The Independent |date=26 August 1998|access-date=1 June 2016}}

Upon returning to Scotland, he continued his academic career, serving as Staff Tutor in Politics at the Open University from 1975 to 1994. He founded the Unit for the Study of Government in Scotland at the University of Edinburgh, and was elected Rector of the University of Aberdeen.

While at the University of Glasgow, he was a founder of the Federation of Student Nationalists in 1961. He was also the founder and Provost of the Scottish Self-Government College.

In 1989 he stood as the SNP candidate for North East Scotland in the 1989 European Parliament election where, despite a large increase in the share of the vote, he lost to Labour's Henry McCubbin.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ahM1AAAAIBAJ&pg=2647%2C271898 |title=Victory in North East is the icing on the cake for Labour |first1=William |last1=Clark |first2=David |last2=Ross |first3=Graeme |last3=Smith |work=The Herald|location=Glasgow |date=19 June 1989 |access-date=1 June 2016}} After this he was selected as a prospective candidate for the Westminster elections.{{cite news |url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rTNAAAAAIBAJ&pg=4941%2C297512 |title=SNP Choice |work=The Glasgow Herald |date= 3 October 1989 |page=3 |access-date=14 April 2019}} He was unsuccessful in the 1991 Kincardine and Deeside by-election and at the same seat in the 1992 election.

He was elected SNP depute leader in 1992. In 1994 Macartney was elected as the MEP for North East Scotland gaining the seat with a swing from Labour to the SNP of 7.6%.{{Cite web|url=http://www.election.demon.co.uk/epscot.html|title=United Kingdom European Parliamentary Election results 1979-99: Scotland|website=election.demon.co.uk|access-date=2018-08-18}}

Macartney was elected Rector of the University of Aberdeen in 1996.{{Cite press release|url=https://www.abdn.ac.uk/mediareleases/archive/2000/pr636.hti|title=In Memory of Dr Allan Macartney|last=Tait|first=Mike|website=abdn.ac.uk|date=9 August 2000 |access-date=8 May 2021}}

In August 1998 Macartney was unanimously re-selected as the SNP's candidate for the 1999 European Parliament elections.

Macartney collapsed and died on 25 August 1998 at his home in Aberdeen. A service of thanksgiving was held in St Machar's Cathedral.{{cite news |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12340779.colleagues-and-rivals-pay-tribute/ |title=Colleagues and rivals pay tribute |first=Keith |last=Sinclair |work=The Herald |date=31 August 1998 |access-date=14 April 2019}}

At the 1998 North East Scotland by-election, caused by Allan Macartney's death, Ian Hudghton held the seat for the SNP with a substantially increased majority.{{Cite web|url=http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/RP99-57/RP99-57.pdf|title=House of Commons Library Research Paper 99/57}}

In 2000, the University of Aberdeen introduced a new scholarship in his honour.{{cite press release |url=http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mediareleases/archive/2000/pr636.hti |title=In Memory of Dr Allan Macartney |publisher=University of Aberdeen |date=9 August 2000 |access-date=1 June 2016}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060925235014/http://www.alba.org.uk/nescotland/macartneyobituary.html Obituaries]}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-ppo}}

{{succession box|title=Senior Vice Convener (Depute Leader) of the Scottish National Party|years=1992–98|before=Jim Sillars|after=John Swinney}}

{{s-aca}}

{{succession box|title=Rector of the University of Aberdeen|before=Ian Hamilton|after=Clarissa Dickson Wright|years=1996–1998}}

{{s-end}}

{{SNP MEPs}}

{{SNP}}

{{Rectors of the University of Aberdeen}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macartney, Allan}}

Category:1941 births

Category:1998 deaths

Category:Academics of the Open University

Category:Academics of the University of Edinburgh

Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh

Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow

Category:Rectors of the University of Aberdeen

Category:People from Moray

Category:Elders of the Church of Scotland

Category:Scottish National Party MEPs

Category:MEPs for Scotland 1994–1999

Category:University of Tübingen alumni

Category:University of Marburg alumni