Thomas Johnston - Red Clydesider, War-time roles, Power to the Glens, Post-war activity

Engraver, born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He engraved maps, scenes of battles and cities, and bookplates, and was also a japanner and organ builder. He is known for his ‘Plan of Boston’ (c.1727–9), and the earliest engraving of an American historical event, ‘The Battle of Lake George’ (1755).

Thomas Johnston CH (1882-5 September 1965) was a prominent Scottish socialist and politician of the early 20th century, a member of the Labour Party, an MP and government minister – usually with Cabinet responsibility for Scottish affairs.

Red Clydesider

Johnston was born in Kirkintilloch in 1882.

First elected as a member of Parliament for the constituency of Stirling and Clackmannan West in November 1922, Johnston was appointed Under-Secretary of State for Scotland by Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald in 1929. This opposition may have backfired (albeit temporarily), as Johnston lost his seat at the General Election in 1931, but he returned (representing Stirling and Clackmannan West) to the House of Commons in 1935 and remained an MP until retiring in 1945.

War-time roles

In April 1939, during the build-up to the Second World War, John Anderson, the Home Secretary, appointed Johnston as Commissioner for Civil Defence in Scotland. Prime Minister Winston Churchill appointed Johnston as Secretary of State for Scotland on 12 February 1941, and Johnston retained the post until May 1945.

Power to the Glens

Arguably, his greatest legacy was the creation of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board.

Inspired by the example of the American Tennessee Valley Authority initiative instigated by President Franklin D Roosevelt, Johnston sought to capitalise upon the geography of the Scottish Highlands and its high rainfall levels to develop power schemes that would benefit people across the then under-developed north of Scotland.

Post-war activity

Post-war, Johnston subsequently served as chairman of various Scottish organisations, including the Scottish National Forestry Commission (1945-48) and the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board (1946-59).