Wilfrid Normand, Baron Normand

The grave of Wilfrid Guild Normand, Dean Cemetery

Wilfrid Guild Normand, Baron Normand PC KC (1884 – 5 October 1962), was a Scottish Unionist Party politician and judge. He was a Scottish law officer at various stages between 1929 and 1935, and a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1931 to 1935. He was Lord President of the Court of Session from 1935 until he became a Law Lord 1947.

Life

Normand was educated at Fettes College, Edinburgh, Oriel College, Oxford, Paris University and Edinburgh University. He was admitted as an advocate on 18 March 1910, the same day as the David King Murray, who also became Solicitor General and a Senator of the College of Justice.^[1]

He served in the Royal Engineers from 1915 to 1918. He became a King's Counsel in 1925.^[2]

He unsuccessfully contested Edinburgh West at the 1929 general election,^[3] but won the seat at the 1931 general election.^[3][4] to until his resignation in 1935, causing a by-election which was won by Thomas Cooper. He served briefly as Solicitor General for Scotland in 1929 (from May^[5] to June^[6]) and from 1931^[7] to 1933, when he was appointed Lord Advocate.^[8] He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1933.^[9]

In April 1935, Normand was appointed to the bench as Lord President and Lord Justice General, succeeding Lord Clyde.^[10] He was appointed a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary in 1947 and received as a Law lord a life peerage as Baron Normand, of Aberdour in the county of Fife, retiring in 1953. He was a Trustee of the National Library of Scotland from 1925 to 1946 and again from 1953, and a Trustee of the British Museum from 1950 to 1953.

He is buried with his two wives, Gertrude Lawson (1886–1923), and Marion Cunningham (1880–1972), in the north-west section of the first northern extension to Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh.

References

1. "Faculty of Advocates". The Scotsman. 19 March 1910. p. 8. Retrieved 11 June 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
2. The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 14151. p. 901. 7 August 1925. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
3. Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 584. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
4. The London Gazette: no. 33769. p. 7146. 6 November 1931. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
5. The London Gazette: no. 33492. p. 3007. 7 May 1929. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
6. The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 14558. p. 650. 21 June 1929. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
7. The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 14809. p. 1226. 17 November 1931. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
8. The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 15005. p. 809. 3 October 1933. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
9. The London Gazette: no. 33985. p. 6521. 10 October 1933. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
10. The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 15161. p. 293. 2 April 1935. Retrieved 8 January 2016.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Wilfrid Normand