Douglas Henderson (SNP politician)
| Douglas Henderson | |
|---|---|
| Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party | |
|
In office 1979–1981 |
|
| Leader | Gordon Wilson |
| Preceded by | Margo MacDonald |
| Succeeded by | Jim Fairlie |
|
In office 1971–1973 |
|
| Leader | William Wolfe |
| Preceded by | George Leslie |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Wilson |
|
Member of Parliament for East Aberdeenshire |
|
|
In office 28 February 1974 – 3 May 1979 |
|
| Preceded by | Patrick Wolrige-Gordon |
| Succeeded by | Albert McQuarrie |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
16 July 1935 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 15 September 2006 (aged 71) Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish National Party |
| Spouse(s) | Maureen Ferguson (m. 1960, div. 1982) |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation | Management consultant |
| Religion | Church of Scotland |
Douglas Henderson (16 July 1935 – 15 September 2006) was a Scottish politician. He was Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 1971 to 1973 and from 1979 to 1981. He served as a Scottish National Party Member of Parliament (MP) for East Aberdeenshire from 1974 to 1979, and held virtually every national office in the SNP, short of party leader. His political style has been described as "no-nonsense" and "very blunt and forthright". He was also known for his forceful public speaking, which former SNP leader Alex Salmond described as "messianic".
Henderson was born in Edinburgh, the son of a railway porter. He won a scholarship to attend the Royal High School and was then awarded a bursary which allowed him to attend the University of Edinburgh from 1952 to 1957. He graduated from Edinburgh with an MA and an LLB.
He worked as a management consultant in the UK and overseas. He married Maureen Ferguson in Johannesburg in 1960 and had four children, but they were later divorced. In later life, his home and business partner was English fashion designer Betty Davies; together, they founded Scottish Fashion International.
In later years, he regularly attended St Giles Cathedral, where his funeral was held on 7 October 2006.
Henderson became a supporter of Scottish independence at an early age, and joined the SNP aged 14. He was President of the Edinburgh University Nationalist Club. Henderson became heavily involved with the SNP after he returned to Scotland from South Africa in the mid-1960s. He was also the director of programmes for Radio Free Scotland from 1963 to 1965, and was Senior vice-chairman (depute leader) of the SNP from 1970 to 1972,. He was selected as the SNP candidate for East Aberdeenshire in 1972, and moved to live in the constituency, developing links with local fishermen, farmers and businessmen. He was elected at the February 1974 general election, and re-elected in the October general election later that year. The SNP were in the ascendent, campaigning on the basis of "It's Scotland's oil".
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