Politician
Born 20 November 1904, Glasgow, Scotland.
Died 13 October 1961.

One of the founding fathers of the Scottish Nationalist movement.

Connection to the University of Glasgow: Alumnus, Honorary Graduate, Rector

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Achievements

The following achievement is associated with John MacCormick:

Founding the Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is the largest political party campaigning for the independence of Scotland from the United Kingdom. It has had continuous parliamentary representation since 1967 and was the largest party in the Scottish Parliament since 2007.

Honours

The following honour is associated with this person:

• Honorary Degree

Biography

John MacDonald MacCormick (1904-1961) was a University graduate who was awarded an honorary LLD in 1951 and served as Rector from 1950 to 1953. The Dr John MacCormick Prize was founded in 1965 by his friends and named in his honour.

Born in Glasgow, MacCormick studied Law at the University and became involved in politics there. In 1927 he founded the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association. He became National Secretary of the National Party of Scotland and in 1934 was instrumental in forming the Scottish National Party with the merger of the NPS and the Scottish Party. In 1942 he left the SNP to form the Scottish Convention, and in 1951 he founded the Scottish Covenant Association to campaign for a Scottish parliament within the United Kingdom.

His younger son, Sir Neil MacCormick, was also a prominent graduate of the University, lawyer and SNP Member of the European Parliament.