William Power (Scottish politician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Power | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Scottish National Party | |
| In office 1940 – 30 May 1942 | |
| Preceded by | Andrew Dewar Gibb |
| Succeeded by | Douglas Young |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 August 1873 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 13 June 1951 (aged 77) Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland |
| Party | Scottish National Party |
| Spouse(s) | Giulia Dick (m 1871–1922); Williamina Mills (m. 1924–1946) |
| Profession | Bank clerk; Journalist |
William Power (30 August 1873 – 13 June 1951) was a Scottish writer, journalist, and politician. He was the leader of the Scottish National Party from 1940 to 1942, and served as President of the Scottish Convention between 1942 and 1951.
William Power was born in Woodlands, Glasgow, the eldest of the five children of William Power snr, a commission agent and ship master. He attended Woodside School in Glasgow, but had to leave at the age of fourteen as a result of his father's death at Gibraltar from fever, and found work as a bank clerk at the Royal Bank of Scotland.[1][2] He continued to read and educate himself, and frequently contributed essays and articles to newspapers.
Writer and editor
In 1907, after working as a bank clerk for twenty years, Power joined The Glasgow Herald as a full-time member of its editorial staff and remained there as essay and leader writer for nearly twenty years.[1][2] A considerable essayist and critic, Power was a supporter of the Scottish Renaissance literary movement in the 1920s. In 1926 he left the Glasgow Herald to become editor of the Scots Observer, a new weekly newspaper which was supported by the Scottish churches.[3] However, the paper was not a commercial success, and he resigned as editor in 1929 to work for Associated Newspapers.[1] Power was a founding member of the Scottish centre of PEN International. He was vice-president in 1930.[4] He served as president of Scottish PEN from 1935 to 1938.[5] He was also president of the Glasgow Esperanto Society, and the Scottish Ramblers' Federation.[1][2]
