David Edwin Keir MBE (12 March 1906 – 9 June 1969), was a Scottish journalist and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician.

Background

Keir was born the son of Rev. Thomas Keir of

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

and

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and Lily Jane Cross, of Bath. He was educated at

Dumfries Academy Dumfries Academy is one of four secondary schools in Dumfries in south west Scotland. It is a state funded secondary school for both girls and boys. The schools moto is "doctrina promovet" which translates from Latin to "learning promotes" which ...

and

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...

where he obtained a Master of Arts. In 1939 he married Conservative politician

Thelma Cazalet Thelma Cazalet-Keir CBE (née Cazalet; 28 May 1899 – 13 January 1989) was a British feminist and Conservative Party politician. Early life Thelma Cazalet was born in London, the third child of four and only daughter of William Marshall Caz ...

. They had no children. He was awarded the MBE in the

1946 Birthday Honours The 1946 King's Birthday Honours, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 13 June 1946 for the United Kingdom and British Empire. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new ...

Professional career

Keir was a journalist with the ''

News Chronicle The ''News Chronicle'' was a British daily newspaper. Formed by the merger of '' The Daily News'' and the '' Daily Chronicle'' in 1930, it ceased publication on 17 October 1960,''Liberal Democrat News'' 15 October 2010, accessed 15 October 2010 b ...

'', and their parliamentary correspondent. He was Chairman of the Parliamentary Press Gallery and Lobby Correspondents from 1938-39. During the Second World War he joined the

Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original ...

and reached the rank of Lieutenant-Commander.

Political career

Keir was also a politician, his allegiance to the Liberal Party. He was President of Edinburgh University Union and Liberal Association in 1928. He unsuccessfully stood as a Liberal parliamentary candidate on four occasions. The first occasion was at the unpromising Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election in early 1929 at the age of 23. He came third polling 16.6%. The second occasion was again at Midlothian and Peebles Northern at the 1929 General Election a few months later. He again came third polling 23.4%. The third occasion was at the 1931 General Election. He was Liberal candidate for winnable Roxburgh and Selkirk. He was hoping to oust the sitting Conservative MP, who in 1929 had a majority of 1,278 over the previous Liberal candidate. He lost to the Conservative this time by 3,974 in an election that was difficult for Liberal candidates challenging sitting members who also supported the National Government. The fourth occasion was at the East Fife by-election in 1933. On this occasion his candidacy was complicated by him not being the adopted candidate of the local Liberal Association. They had adopted another candidate who was a supporter of the National Government, who stood as a ' Liberal National'. Keir received public support from

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

as well as some leading figures within the Liberal Party. However he was not formally supported by the Liberal Party nationally because the party were still partners in the National Government. Unfortunately Keir, standing as an Independent Liberal, did not get sufficient local Liberal support to mount a decent campaign. He finished fourth with 7.6%. He did not stand for parliament again.British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1973, FWS Craig

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keir, David Edwin 1906 births 1969 deaths Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates People educated at Dumfries Academy Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Cazalet family Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire