William Baxter (Scottish politician) explained

William Baxter
Constituency Mp:West Stirlingshire
Term Start:8 October 1959
Term End:20 September 1974
Predecessor:Alfred Balfour
Successor:Dennis Canavan
Birth Date:4 December 1911
Nationality:British
Alma Mater:Heriot-Watt University
Occupation:politician
farmer

William Baxter (4 December 1911 – 20 April 1979) was a British Labour Party politician, building contractor and farmer.

He was a conscientious objector in the Second World War.

Having served as a councillor, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for West Stirlingshire from 1959 until he stood down at the October 1974 general election.

He was asked to stand down by his Constituency Labour Party after the indecisive election of February 1974, when he appeared on television calling for an all-party government of national unity, and suggested that the Duke of Edinburgh could chair its meetings.

In 1961, as a protest against bipartisan support for British nuclear weapons, he voted against the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and British Army Estimates in the House of Commons, and was suspended from the Labour Party Whip from March 1961 until May 1963.

Baxter received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1976.[1]

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates. www1.hw.ac.uk. 2016-04-06. 18 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160418163907/http://www1.hw.ac.uk/graduation/honorary-graduates.htm. dead.