Respected Scotsman and former Tory MP for Fife

Sir John Gilmour who died on 1 June, 2007, was a Conservative MP, who spent much of his political career in Scotland.

After serving with the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry during the Second World War, he contested a seat at the 1945 general election and remained in the political arena until the 1979 general election where he stood down from his seat in the Commons.

His association with Fife lasted throughout his lifetime culminating in his role as Lord Lieutenant in 1980. His father, also a Tory MP, had been Secretary of State for Scotland and it came as no surprise that he followed in his father’s steps.

Winning a local by election in 1961 heralded the beginning of eighteen years as Member of Parliament for East Fife, a role that earned him the nickname, Sir John Sugar Beet.

John Edward Gilmour, was born on 24 October, 1912 in Glasgow. An only son, he grew up in the shadow of his father and was educated at Eton and Trinity Hall, Cambridge where studying law occupied much of his time.

Attending such a prestigious university had it perks. He was involved in the 1933 boat race, helping Cambridge to record their 40th victory against their arch rivals Oxford.

When war broke out in 1939, he was already a member of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry. He fought for the same regiment for its duration and was later awarded the Distinguished Service Order, for his brave efforts during the Normandy landings in 1944.

He did not retire from the army until 1950, but at the close of the war he was already finding his feet in local politics. He ran for an available seat in Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire, in 1945, but was defeated on his first attempt.

After his disheartening defeat he put his political career on hold for a while, instead concentrating on another passion – farming.

On returning to politics he served as a county councillor for Fife between 1955 and 1961. Believing passionately he could hold his own as a Member of Parliament he contested a seat at the East Fife by election in 1961, defeating future Labour party leader John Smith.

His role as a Member of Parliament coincided with a position as vice chairman of the Scottish Unionist Party. It was a role he enjoyed, eventually being promoted to chairman of the party in 1965.

Life in the Commons passed with little controversy although he was known to contest issues surrounding farming and the countryside, such as pig breeding.

His interest in farming extended beyond his duties in Westminster. He was Master of the Hunt in Fife between 1953 and 1972 and became a well known landowner and farmer within the community.

In 1972, he challenged a proposal to turn Fife into a number of larger regions and whilst his Conservative friends were losing their seats in the Commons, Gilmour held onto his position eventually standing down as an MP 1979.

Sir John had been the deputy lieutenant for Fife in 1953 and in 1980 he went one better becoming lord Lieutenant between 1980- 87. His father had been the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in the 1930s and when offered exactly the same role in 1982, Sir John proudly accepted the challenge.

Sir John Gilmour died in Cupar, a small town in Fife. He will be remembered as a dedicated and committed politician whose association with a small Scottish community helped shape his life and career.