Sam Galbraith

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Sam Galbraith

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Sam_Galbraith_MSP.jpg

| office = Minister for Environment, Sport and Culture

| firstminister = Henry McLeish

| term_start = 2 November 2000

| term_end = 20 March 2001

| predecessor = Office established

| successor = Office abolished

| office1 = Minister for Children and Education

| firstminister1 = Donald Dewar

| term_start1 = 19 May 1999

| term_end1 = 2 November 2000

| predecessor1 = Office established

| successor1 = Jack McConnell

| constituency_MP2 = Strathkelvin and Bearsden

| parliament2 = Scottish

| term_start2 = 6 May 1999

| term_end2 = 20 March 2001

| predecessor2 = Office established

| successor2 = Brian Fitzpatrick

| constituency_MP3 = Strathkelvin and Bearsden

| parliament3 = UK

| term_start3 = 11 June 1987

| term_end3 = 14 May 2001

| predecessor3 = Michael Hirst

| successor3 = John Lyons

| birth_date = 18 October 1945

| birth_place = Clitheroe, England

| death_date = 18 August 2014 (aged 68)

| death_place = Glasgow, Scotland

| restingplace =

| birthname = Samuel Laird Galbraith

| nationality = British

| citizenship = United Kingdom

| party = Labour

| otherparty =

| spouse =

| relations =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater =

| occupation =

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}}

Samuel Laird Galbraith (18 October 1945 – 18 August 2014) was a Scottish politician and neurosurgeon who served as Minister for Environment, Sport and Culture from 2000 to 2001 and Minister for Children and Education from 1999 to 2000. Galbraith was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Strathkelvin and Bearsden from 1999 to 2001, and a Member of Parliament (MP) in the British House of Commons for the equivalent seat from 1987 to 2001.

The Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition faced demands from Scottish National Party (SNP) politicians, including future First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, for Galbraith to resign after the SQA examinations controversy in 2000.

Early life

Galbraith was born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, to Samuel Galbraith and Catherine Navin.[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/19/sam-galbraith] He was educated at Greenock High School. He studied at Glasgow University, where he received honours in medicine. Galbraith was a respected neurosurgeon, who worked at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital.

Political career

At the 1987 general election, he was returned as Member of Parliament for the Strathkelvin and Bearsden constituency,{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/879814.stm| title=Resignation calls fall on deaf ears| date=14 August 2000| work=BBC News| access-date=18 August 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031010034023/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/879814.stm| archive-date=10 October 2003| url-status=live}} and held the seat until standing down at the 2001 general election. He was a Scottish Office Minister between 1997 and 1999.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/1853/sam-galbraith| title=Sam Galbraith: Electoral history and profile| work=The Guardian| access-date=18 August 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819175922/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/1853/sam-galbraith| archive-date=19 August 2014| url-status=live}}

Galbraith served as Minister for Children and Education in the Scottish Executive under Donald Dewar from 1999 to 2000 and then as Minister for Environment, Sport and Culture. On 20 March 2001 he announced his resignation from ministerial office and his parliamentary seats for health reasons.{{cite news| url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/galbraith-resigns-today-1.194425 |title=Galbraith resigns today |last=MacLeod |first=Catherine |work=The Herald (Glasgow) |date=20 March 2001 |access-date=18 August 2014}}

Personal life

He was married in 1987 to Nicola Tennant, and they had three daughters, Mhairi, Heather and Fiona.[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/19/sam-galbraith] In prior years he was an avid mountaineer who had climbed all the Munros and also climbed in the Alps and Himalayas.

Galbraith received a lung transplant in 1990, at Freeman's Hospital Newcastle (where he continued to receive treatment), due to fibrosing alveolitis, a condition that his elder sister died from.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/mar/18/scotland.devolution | work=The Guardian | first=Lorna | last=Martin | title=I was meant to die. I didn't. | date=17 March 2007 | location=London | access-date=17 January 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308200415/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/mar/18/scotland.devolution | archive-date=8 March 2016 | url-status=live }}

From 2006 he was chairman of the Scottish Maritime Museum with facilities at Irvine, North Ayrshire and Dumbarton.North Ayrshire Council [https://archive.today/20130722185833/http://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/chiefexec/comra.nsf/e9ee67f48fbb9003802569d700533758/9949f84ce29930910025727900371d07?OpenDocument Committee reports and agenda] retrieved 22 July 2013.

He died on 18 August 2014.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-28843095|title=Tributes paid to former Scottish minister Sam Galbraith who has died|first=Andrew|last=Black|date=18 August 2014|work=BBC News|access-date=17 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824045038/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-28843095|archive-date=24 August 2015|url-status=live}}