David Russell Russell-Johnston, Baron Russell-Johnston (born David Russell Johnston; 28 July 1932 – 27 July 2008), usually known as Russell Johnston, was a leading

Scottish Liberal Democrat The Scottish Liberal Democrats () is a liberal, federalist political party in Scotland, part of UK Liberal Democrats. The party holds 5 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, 6 of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons and 86 of 1, ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and was the Leader of the

Scottish Liberal Party The Scottish Liberal Party, the section of the Liberal Party in Scotland, was the dominant political party of Victorian Scotland, and although its importance declined with the rise of the Labour and Unionist parties during the 20th century, it ...

from 1974 to 1988.

Early life

David Russell Johnston was born on 28 July 1932 at 39 Palmerston Place, Edinburgh to Georgina Margaret Gerrie (née Russell) and David Knox Johnston, a customs and excise officer. He was educated at

Portree High School Portree High School ( Gaelic: ') is a state co-educational comprehensive school in Portree, Isle of Skye in Scotland. , the school enrols 494 pupils and employs 80 teachers and support staff. The school's catchment area draws from 15 primary sch ...

on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of ...

, and attended the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, graduating in 1957 with an MA in history. After completing

national service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

in the intelligence corps (1958–9) he trained as a teacher at Moray House College of Education, going on to teach at

Liberton High School Liberton High School is a secondary school in Liberton, Scotland, Liberton, in the south of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is located on Gilmerton Road. The school roll for the 2022–23 academic year was 846. Liberton High School has had certain g ...

. In 1961, he won

The Observer Mace The John Smith Memorial Mace (known as the Observer Mace from 1954 to 1995) is an annual debating tournament ( British Parliamentary format) contested by universities in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The equivalent competition for seconda ...

, speaking with David Harcus and representing the University of Edinburgh.

Political career

He was elected to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

and represented

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

(1964–83) and its successor seat Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber (1983-97) as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the

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 ...

(1964-88) and then the Liberal Democrats (1988–97). He also served as leader of the Scottish Liberal Party (1974-88) and as deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats (1988–92). In October 1966, he proposed a bill of federal law in order to deal with the Scotland and Wales case. Johnston was knighted in 1985. In the 1992 election, he made history by holding his seat with just 26% of the vote in a close four-way battle with Labour, the SNP, and the Conservatives. At the time, this was the lowest ever winning percentage for a candidate, until being superseded by Belfast South at the 2015 election. On retiring from the House of Commons in 1997, he was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baron Russell-Johnston of Minginish in Highlands, changing his surname by

deed poll A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract, because it binds only one party. Etymology Th ...

to allow his forename to be incorporated into his title. He was a member of the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up of ...

from 1985 to his death in 2008, leading the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE-PACE) from 1994 to 1999, and serving as the assembly's president from 1999 until 2002. In 2003

Alija Izetbegović Alija Izetbegović (; 8 August 1925 – 19 October 2003) was a Bosnian politician, Islamic philosophy, Islamic philosopher and author, who in 1992 became the first Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, president of the Presidency ...

described him as "a great friend of Bosnia."Inescapable Questions (2003), page.424.

Personal life

In 1967 Johnston married Joan Graham Menzies, a bank clerk, and together they had three sons. Lord Russell-Johnston collapsed and died in a Paris street on 27 July 2008, the day before his 76th birthday. He had been diagnosed with cancer, for which he was receiving

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

. While undergoing treatment he continued to work on

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

issues for the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

. At the time of his death he and his wife had been estranged for over ten years, although they remained close friends.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Russell 1932 births 2008 deaths People from the Isle of Skye Knights Bachelor Leaders of political parties in Scotland Scottish schoolteachers Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish Liberal Party MPs Scottish Liberal Democrat MPs Russell-Johnston Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Highland constituencies Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1966–1970 UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs 1974 UK MPs 1974–1979 UK MPs 1979–1983 UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 Deaths from cancer in France Liberal Party (UK) MEPs MEPs for the United Kingdom 1973–1979 Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 2nd Class People educated at Portree High School Life peers created by Elizabeth II