Arthur Donaldson
| Arthur Donaldson | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Scottish National Party | |
|
In office May 1960 – 1 June 1969 |
|
| Preceded by | James Halliday |
| Succeeded by | William Wolfe |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
13 December 1901 Dundee, Scotland |
| Died | 18 January 1993 (aged 91) Forfar, Angus, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish National Party |
| Spouse(s) | Violet Bruce (m. 1932–1993) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Detroit Institute of Technology |
| Profession | Journalist, Business executive, Farmer |
Arthur William Donaldson (13 December 1901 – 18 January 1993) was a Scottish journalist and Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He was leader of the Scottish National Party from 1960 to 1969.
Donaldson was born in Dundee, the son of George Donaldson, a yarn dresser. He was educated at Harris Academy, leaving in 1917 with five higher leaving certificate passes. After working as an assistant registrar of births, deaths and marriages in Dundee, he began a career in journalism as a reporter with The Courier, a Dundee newspaper. In 1923 he decided to emigrate to the United States to try his hand as a journalist there. Donaldson did not find work as a journalist and instead found employment in Detroit as secretary to the head of an engineering department in the automotive industry, then attended the Detroit Institute of Technology to study engineering. He eventually became assistant secretary in the Chrysler Corporation's public procurement division, responsible for dealing with the United States Department of Defense.
Although now beginning to be established in the United States, Donaldson took a keen interest in the developing political movement for Scottish independence back home. To that end, in 1928 he joined the newly formed National Party of Scotland as an overseas member. In 1932, Donaldson married Vi Bruce, another expatriate Scot (from Forfar) and they set up home in Washington D.C., where he continued to work for Chrysler. Donaldson joined the Scottish National Party in 1934, and three years later returned to his native Scotland with his family, settling at Lugton, in Ayrshire, where he established a poultry farm.
Donaldson came into contact with Robert McIntyre, one of the leading members of the SNP, and his involvement with the party deepened.
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