# 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 was still a significant, albeit much reduced force when it finally merged with the Social Democratic Party in Scotland, to form the Scottish Liberal Democrats in 1988.
The party lost its last remaining seats in the UK Parliament in 1945, and continued to decline in popular support in the post war years, with Jo Grimond (who won back Orkney and Shetland in 1950) being the sole Scottish Liberal MP in the House of Commons from 1951 to 1964. The party gained a partial revival in the 1964 general election returning three further MPs; George Mackie, Russell Johnston and Alasdair Mackenzie. A further gain came the following year with David Steel's victory at the Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles by-election. Steel went on to become a pivotal figure in the development of Scottish devolution, in partnership with John Smith, Donald Dewar and other key Labour and Liberal figures.

## Victorian Party

The Victorian Liberal party in Scotland was not always ideologically unified, and was faced with many internal divisions, particularly amongst the more conservative Whiggish elements of the party who were largely based in Edinburgh and the East, and the more western and Glasgow-based radical Liberals.
The East and North of Scotland Liberal Association and the West and South West of Scotland Liberal Association were founded in 1877. Early in 1881, they merged, forming the Scottish Liberal Association, led by Gladstone and Adam. A National Liberal Federation of Scotland was founded in April 1886, but merged into the Liberal Association in December.
The Scottish Women's Liberal Federation was formed in 1891 from regional groups and was led by Anne Lindsay.

## Leadership
### Chairmen

    1886: Victor Bruce
    1894: Thomas Gibson-Carmichael
    1902: Edward Marjoribanks
    1906: John William Crombie
    1908: Eugene Wason
    1909: George Green
    1910: Eugene Wason
    1912: William Robertson
    1921: Donald Maclean
    1925: John Anthony
    1933: William Baird
    1936: Archibald Sinclair
    1936: Philip Kerr
    1946: Louise Glen-Coats
    1948: Leonard T. M. Gray
    1952: Louise Glen-Coats
    1953: John Gray Wilson
    1954: Charles Hampton Johnston
    1956: John Bannerman
    1965: George Mackie
    1970: Russell Johnston
    1973: Robert L. Smith
    1975: Menzies Campbell
    1977: Terry Grieve
    1980: Fred McDermid
    1982: Ross Finnie
    1986: John Lawrie
    1987: Christopher Mason

### Presidents

    1880s: John Dalrymple
    1884: Alexander Duff
    1886: Archibald Primrose
    1901: Henry Campbell-Bannerman
    1909: H. H. Asquith
    1928: John Hamilton-Gordon
    1934: Ramsay Muir
    1935: Archibald Sinclair
    1960: Archibald Sinclair and Andrew Murray
    1961: Archibald Sinclair
    1963: Archibald Sinclair and John Bannerman
    1965: John Bannerman
    1969: Ray Bannerman (later Ray Michie)
    1976: Robert L. Smith
    1982: Fred McDermid
    1983: George Mackie

### Leader

* Until 1973, the party was led by the president.
* Russell Johnston, 1973–1988

## Electoral performance

This chart shows the electoral results of the Scottish Liberal Party, from its first election in 1859, to its last in 1983. Total number of seats, and vote percentage, is for Scotland only.
| Election | National leader in Scotland | Vote % | Seats | Government |
| 1859 | — | 66.4 | 40 / 53 | Liberal |
| 1865 | — | 85.4 | 42 / 53 | Liberal |
| 1868 | — | 82.5 | 51 / 58 | Liberal |
| 1874 | — | 68.4 | 40 / 58 | Conservative |
| 1880 | — | 70.1 | 52 / 58 | Liberal |
| 1885 | William Ewart Gladstone for Midlothian | 53.3 | 51 / 70 | Liberal minority |
| 1886 | William Ewart Gladstone for Midlothian | 53.6 | 43 / 70 | Conservative–Liberal Unionist |
| 1892 | William Ewart Gladstone for Midlothian | 53.9 | 51 / 70 | Liberal minority |
| 1895 | — | 51.7 | 39 / 70 | Conservative–Liberal Unionist |
| 1900 | Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman for Stirling Burghs | 50.2 | 34 / 70 | Conservative–Liberal Unionist |
| 1906 | Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman for Stirling Burghs | 56.4 | 58 / 70 | Liberal |
| Jan 1910 | H. H. Asquith for East Fife | 54.2 | 58 / 70 | Liberal minority |
| Dec 1910 | H. H. Asquith for East Fife | 53.6 | 57 / 70 | Liberal minority |
| 1918 | H. H. Asquith for East Fife (defeated) | Official Liberal 15.0 Coalition Liberal 19.1 | Official Liberal 8 / 71 Coalition Liberal 25 / 71 | Coalition Liberal–Conservative |
| 1922 | H. H. Asquith for Paisley | Official Liberal 21.5 National Liberal 17.7 | Official Liberal 15 / 71 National Liberal 12 / 71 | Conservative |
| 1923 | H. H. Asquith for Paisley | 28.4 | 22 / 71 | Labour minority |
| 1924 | H. H. Asquith for Paisley | 16.6 | 8 / 71 | Conservative |
| 1929 | — | 18.1 | 13 / 71 | Labour minority |
| 1931 | — | 8.6 | 7 / 71 | National Labour–Conservative–Liberal |
| 1935 | — | 6.7 | 3 / 71 | Conservative–National Labour–Liberal National |
| 1945 | Sir Archibald Sinclair for Caithness and Sutherland | 5.6 | 0 / 71 | Labour |
| 1950 | — | 6.6 | 2 / 71 | Labour |
| 1951 | — | 2.7 | 1 / 71 | Conservative |
| 1955 | — | 1.9 | 1 / 71 | Conservative |
| 1959 | Jo Grimond for Orkney and Shetland | 4.1 | 1 / 71 | Conservative |
| 1964 | Jo Grimond for Orkney and Shetland | 7.6 | 4 / 71 | Labour |
| 1966 | Jo Grimond for Orkney and Shetland | 6.8 | 5 / 71 | Labour |
| 1970 | — | 5.5 | 3 / 71 | Conservative |
| February 1974 | — | 7.9 | 3 / 71 | Labour minority |
| October 1974 | — | 8.3 | 3 / 71 | Labour |
| 1979 | David Steel for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles | 9.0 | 3 / 71 | Conservative |