Locations: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Westminster
Milestones
Birth: August 24 1929 - India
Death: July 30 1978 - EdinburghBrief Profile
John Patrick Mackintosh was an unlikely combination of Labour politician author and academic. On his parents returning to Scotland from India where he was born, John attended Melville College, then the Universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, and Princeton.
After early appointments in Glasgow, Abadan, Strathclyde, he settled in the University of Edinburgh. Elected against the odds, in 1966, to the rural constituency of Berwick and East Lothian he held on to the seat, but for a brief period in 1974, until his tragically early death at the age of 48 in 1978. His increasing stature at Westminster did not diminish the time and care he devoted to his constituents; nor did the challenge of creating the intellectual framework for Scottish devolution in The Devolution of Power published in 1968. That his academic reputation was outstanding is shown by the University of Edinburgh making his 1977 appointment to the Chair of Politics a part time one, enabling him to continue making his increasingly valuable contribution in the House of Commons. Sadly, to be for an all-too-brief period.
Invitation
Appreciations are invited from family members and others, especially those who, like our customer, feel that this is a person who richly deserves to be remembered and celebrated. Appreciations should be sent to: registrations@milestonesscotland.co.uk. We have made provision for the possibility of a family member wishing to take on ownership of the profile in place of our supporter in a Protocol to our Terms and Conditions.
The owner of the entries and Milestones jointly share the absolute right of editorial control of content for the sake of maintaining a degree of brevity, the integrity and the good name of the site and a light but respectful tone.
Timeline
1940 – 1952 Educated at Melville College, and Universities of Edinburgh, Oxford and Princeton.
1953 Assistant Lecturer, Glasgow University.
1954 Lecturer in History, Edinburgh University.
1961 Senior Lecturer in Government, University of Abadan.
1962 The British Cabinet
1963 Senior Lecturer in Politics, Glasgow University.
1965 Professor of Politics, Strathclyde University.
1966 Nigerian Politics and Government
1966 elected to the House of Commons, MP for Berwick and East Lothian.
1966 – 1973 member Select Committee on Procedure
1967 – 1969-member Agriculture Select Committee
1968 – 1970-member Scottish Affairs Select Committee
1968 The Devolution of Power
1970 British Government and Politics
1975 Joint Editor The Political Quarterly
1977 Professor of Politics University of Edinburgh.
1978 dies in harness
Obituary
Awaited
Appreciations
Appreciation, by BS, Orkney August 2022
John would have relished this day [12th May 1999. ] His intellect and academic rigour were applied to the theory of devolution. Today was the day the theory become practice. He believed with Donald Dewar that…..“There shall be a Scottish Parliament.” From today there is. He would not have approved of every detail of the settlement. If he had lived to serve on the Convention or in Parliament no voice would have been more respected than his. But he would have relished the celebrations – and would have joined in.
Appreciation, by MBC, Helensburgh, July 31 2023
Many of my generation regard John as truly the father of devolution. He is one of the too many leading Scottish politicians whose untimely deaths tragically deprived politics of men who did great things but who could have gone on to do greater, including his contemporaries John Smith Robin Cook, Donald Dewar.
Postscript
The Brief Profile is distilled from contemporary obituaries as filtered by the admiration and prejudices of a Milestones supporter / sustainer. R M, who would be pleased to hear from a descendant of Professor Mackintosh through Contact.