Donald Nicol (MP)

{{Infobox officeholder

| name =

| office = Member of Parliament
for Argyllshire

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1843|10|03}}

| birth_name = Donald Ninian Nicol

| party = Unionist

| predecessor = Donald Horne Macfarlane

| successor = Sir John Ainsworth

| termstart = 13 July 1895

| termend = 27 July 1903

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1903|7|27|1843|10|3}}

| birth_place = Liverpool, Lancashire

| death_place = Marylebone, London

| image = Donald-Ninian-Nicol.jpg

| caption = Nicol in 1897.

}}

Donald Ninian Nicol JP DL (3 October 1843 – 27 July 1903){{Cite news |date=29 July 1903 |title=Gossip of the Day |pages=2 |work=Burnley Express |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000283/19030729/005/0002 |access-date=6 September 2022}} was a British barrister and politician, who served as the Unionist Party MP for Argyllshire 1895 to 1903.{{Cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-donald-nicol/index.html|title=Mr Donald Nicol (Hansard)|website=api.parliament.uk|access-date=2020-04-04}}

Early life and education

Nicol was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, in October 1843 to a Scottish father & English mother. He was educated in Scotland, first at Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh and at the University of Glasgow. In 1863 he entered Queen's College, Oxford, achieving a BA in 1867 and an MA in 1872. He was called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1870 and worked on the Northern Circuit.{{Cite news |date=31 July 1903 |title=Death of an MP |pages=6 |work=Diss Express |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001527/19030731/066/0006 |access-date=6 September 2022}}

Political career

Nicol stood for election as the Conservative candidate for Argyllshire in the 1895 general election, where he defeated the incumbent Liberal MP Donald Horne Macfarlane.{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1004382729|title=British Parliamentary Election Results 1885?1918|others=Craig, F. W. S.|date=18 June 1974|isbn=978-1-349-02298-4|location=London|oclc=1004382729}} Nicol was re-elected at the 1900 general election with a 54% majority.

Personal life & death

Nicol was married to Anne Millicent Bates (1849-1946), daughter of Sir Edward Bates, in 1874.{{Cite news |date=30 July 1903 |title=Death of Mr. Nicol, MP |pages=7 |work=Bromyard News |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002110/19030730/108/0007 |access-date=6 September 2022}} They had 4 children.

Nicol suffered from heart disease in later life, and he died in July 1903 after suffering a severe illness. He was succeeded as MP in a by-election by Liberal candidate Sir John Ainsworth who Nicol had previously defeated in 1900.

Electoral history

= 1895 general election =

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Donald Nicol|votes=3,970|percentage=50.9|change=+1.5|}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Liberal Party (UK)|candidate=Donald Horne Macfarlane|votes=3,835|percentage=49.1|change=−1.5|}}

{{Election box turnout||votes=7,805|percentage=74.5|change=+1.1}}

{{Election box gain with party link||winner=Conservative Party (UK)|loser=Liberal Party (UK)|swing=+1.5}}

= 1900 general election =

{{Election box begin|title=General election 1900: ArgyllshireDebrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901{{cite book|editor1-last=Craig|editor1-first=FWS|title=British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918|date=1974|publisher=Macmillan Press|location=London|isbn=9781349022984}}}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Donald Nicol|votes=3,834|percentage=54.2|change=+3.3|}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Liberal Party (UK)|candidate=John Ainsworth|votes=3,234|percentage=45.8|change=−3.3|}}

{{Election box turnout||votes=7,068|percentage=67.9|change=−6.6}}

{{Election box hold with party link||winner=Conservative Party (UK)|swing=+3.3}}