John Colville, 1st Baron Clydesmuir

David John Colville, 1st Baron Clydesmuir, GCIE, PC (13 February 1894 – 31 October 1954), was a Scottish Unionist politician, colonial administrator, and industrialist. He was director of his family's steel and iron business, David Colville & Sons as well as the final Governor of Bombay.

Colonel The Right Honourable The Lord Clydesmuir GCIE PC
Colville in 1931
Governor of Bombay
In office 24 March 1943 – 5 January 1948
Preceded by	Roger Lumley
Succeeded by	Raja Maharaj Singh
Secretary of State for Scotland
In office 6 May 1938 – 10 May 1940
Prime Minister	Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by	Walter Elliot
Succeeded by	Ernest Brown
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
In office 29 October 1936 – 6 May 1938
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by	William Morrison
Succeeded by	Euan Wallace
Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
In office 28 November 1935 – 29 October 1936
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by	Noel Skelton
Succeeded by	Henry Scrymgeour-Wedderburn
Member of Parliament for Midlothian and Peebles Northern
In office 30 May 1929 – January 1943
Preceded by	Andrew Clarke
Succeeded by	Sir David King Murray
Personal details
Born	13 February 1894 Cleland, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died	31 October 1954 (aged 60)
Spouse	Agnes Anne Bilsland
Children	3, including Ronald Colville, 2nd Baron Clydesmuir
Alma mater	Charterhouse, Trinity College, Cambridge

Early life and education

The only son of John Colville MP, of Cleland, Lanarkshire, and Christina Marshall Colville, he was educated at Charterhouse and at Trinity College, Cambridge.

He served in World War I with the 6th Battalion of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), and was wounded.

Political career

He was unsuccessful National Liberal candidate for Motherwell at the 1922 general election. Switching to the Conservative Party, Colville was unsuccessful again at a by-election in January 1929 for Midlothian and Peebles Northern, but won the seat the general election in May 1929, remaining as the constituency's Member of Parliament (MP) until 1943. He served in the National Government as Parliamentary Secretary to the Department of Overseas Trade from 1931 to 1935, as Under-Secretary of State for Scotland from 1935 to 1936, as Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1936 to 1938 and as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1938 until 1940.

The Baron and his wife as governor and vice-regal consort of Bombay (now Mumbai)

Diplomatic career and peerage

Colville left Parliament in 1943 to become Governor of Bombay, a post he held until January 1948. He acted as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, in 1945, 1946 and 1947. On his return from India he was raised to the peerage as Baron Clydesmuir, of Braidwood in the County of Lanarkshire. From 1950 to 1954 Lord Clydesmuir served as a Governor of the BBC.

Colville was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1936 and was a Brigadier in the Royal Company of Archers. He was Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire from 1952 until his death.

Marriage and children

He married Agnes Anne Bilsland, daughter of Sir William Bilsland, in 1915. They had a son and two daughters.

His son, Ronald Colville, 2nd Baron Clydesmuir, served as Governor of the Bank of Scotland.

Arms

Coat of arms of John Colville, 1st Baron Clydesmuir

Crest A Hind's Head erased proper Escutcheon Argent a Cross Moline Sable on a Chief of the last a Thistle slipped proper between two Bulls' Heads also Argent Supporters Dexter: a Roebuck; Sinister: a Doe, both proper Motto Oublier Ne Puis (I cannot forget)

References

• Torrance, David, The Scottish Secretaries (Birlinn 2006)
• Who Was Who

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Colville