William Wolfe
| William Wolfe | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Scottish National Party | |
|
In office 1 June 1969 – 15 September 1979 |
|
| Preceded by | Arthur Donaldson |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Wilson |
| Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party | |
|
In office 1966–1969 |
|
| Leader | Arthur Donaldson |
| Preceded by | Sandy Milne |
| Succeeded by | George Leslie |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
22 February 1924 Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland |
| Died | 18 March 2010 (aged 86) Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK |
| Political party | Scottish National Party |
| Spouse(s) |
Arna Dinwiddie (m, 1953–1989; divorced) Catherine McAteer (m. 1993-2010; his death) |
| Children | 4 (1st marriage) |
| Profession | Chartered accountant |
| Religion | Church of Scotland |
Arna Dinwiddie (m, 1953–1989; divorced)
William Cuthbertson "Billy" Wolfe (22 February 1924 – 18 March 2010) was a Scottish accountant, manufacturer and Scottish National Party politician. He was the National Convenor (leader) of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 1969-79, playing a central role in the transformation of the SNP into a modern, progressive political movement, and in the development of the SNP’s social democratic political philosophy.
Wolfe was born in Bathgate, West Lothian, the son of Thomas Wolfe, owner of George Wolfe & Sons Ltd. and the Bathgate Forge Co. Ltd, which manufactured shovels. He was educated at Bathgate Academy and George Watson's College, Edinburgh, and saw active service during World War II, serving with the Scottish Horse (Royal Artillery) from 1942 to 1947 in France, the Low Countries, Germany, Indonesia and Malaya. Following demobilization, he qualified as a chartered accountant in 1952, and was company secretary of the family firms from 1952 to 1964.
He later established his own business, Chieftain Forge Ltd (1964–1986), supplying and manufacturing forestry equipment and shovels. Billy Wolfe was a man of wide interests: a longstanding member of the Saltire Society, the Scout Association and the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a Justice of the Peace, and an officebearer in the Scottish Poetry Library, as well as being a poet in Scots in his own right. Initially he was more interested in cultural matters, but his dissatisfaction with the government of Scotland grew, and he became convinced of the need for Scottish independence.
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