SIR DONALD MACLEAN

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 141, 16 June 1932, Page 13

SIR DONALD MACLEAN

LIBERAL MINISTER

(British Official Wireless.) (Received 16th June, 11 a.m.)

RUGBY, 15th June.

Sir Donald Maclean, President of. the Board of Education, died unexpectedly at his London home this afternoon from heart .failure. He had been attending to his Departmental duties until within the last few days, and was present at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday of last week.

He entered Parliament as a Liberal in 1906, and at the last election he held his seat as niemberJfor North Cornwall against Conservative and Labour opposition. . ■'" '■; . ■ '.

During the crisis' of last August lie took a prominent part with his fellow Liberal leader, Sir Herbert Samuel, in the negotiations which finally led to the/establishment of the first National Government. He entered Cabinet as Minister of Education, and when the second National Government was formed two months later he retained that pOSt.i. ■■' ; .' .... .

The Prime Minister' and his colleagues at Lausanne, Sir John Simon, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, and Mr. "Walter ; Runcrman, were much distressed when the news of Sir Donald Maclean ?s death was conveyed to them, and they at once dispatched a message of condolence to his widow. The Minister of Agriculture, Sir John Gilmour, during a debate inrthe House of ; Commons, said that the earliest possible opportunity would be taken of paying suitable {iribute to the late Sir Donald Maelean, the news of whose death-had caused his Cabinet colleagues' and friends in Parliament deep sorrow..

, Sir Donald Maclean was the eldest! son of ■ John . Maclean, of Kilmoluag, Tirce, Scotland, and was admitted .a solicitor ,in 1887. After three unsuccessful .contests he entered tho House of Commons in 1906 as liberal member for Bath. He failed to hold the scat at the General Election .of January, 1910, but in November of that year he was elected for Peebles and Selkirk, which he represented till 1918. He was member for Peebles and South Midlothian from 1918 to 1922, when ho lost his seat. In the absence of Mr. Asquith from the House of Commons ho became. Chairman of the Parliamentary Liberal Party (1919-22). From 1911 toj 1918 ho was Deputy Chairman of the1 House of Commons, and from 1916. to' 1918 was Chairman of tho London Ap-1 peal Tribunal. During tho war he was Chairman of the Enemy Debt Treasury' Commission and of the Houso of Com-' Dions Military Appeal Tribunal. Iv 1916 he was made a Privy Coun-cillor, and in 1917 received the K.B.E. Bie re-entered tho House of .Commons as' member for the' Northern Division of I Cornwall in 19.29, 'and was made President of the Board of Education when the National Ministry was formed, being reappointed after the last General Election.