Robert Munro, 1st Baron Alness

Robert Munro, 1st Baron Alness, GBE, PC, QC, DL (28 May 1868 – 6 October 1955), was a Scottish lawyer, judge and Liberal politician. He served as Secretary for Scotland between 1916 and 1922 in David Lloyd George's coalition government and as Lord Justice Clerk between 1922 and 1933.

The Right Honourable The Lord Alness GBE PC KC DL
Robert Munro in 1922
Lord Advocate
In office 30 October 1913 – 5 December 1916
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	H. H. Asquith
Preceded by	Alexander Ure
Succeeded by	James Avon Clyde
Secretary for Scotland
In office 10 December 1916 – 19 October 1922
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	David Lloyd George
Preceded by	Harold Tennant
Succeeded by	The Viscount Novar
Lord Justice Clerk
In office 1922–1933
Monarch	George V
Preceded by	The Lord Dickson
Succeeded by	The Lord Aitchison
Personal details
Born	(1868-05-28)28 May 1868 Alness, Ross-shire
Died	6 October 1955(1955-10-06) (aged 87) Bournemouth, Hampshire
Nationality	Scottish
Political party	Liberal Liberal National
Spouse(s)	(1) Edith Evans (d. 1920) (2) Olga Grumler
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh

Background and education

Munro was born in Alness, Ross-shire, the son of Margaret (née Sinclair), daughter of Reverend John Sinclair, and Reverend Alexender Ross Munro. He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and the University of Edinburgh.[1]

Legal and political career

Townhouse at 15 Heriot Row, Edinburgh

Munro was admitted to the Scottish Bar as an Advocate in 1893. He was a Counsel to the Board of Inland Revenue and became a King's Counsel in 1910.[1] At this point he lived at 15 Heriot Row: a huge Georgian townhouse in the centre of Edinburgh.[2][3]

In the January 1910 general election he was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament for Wick Burghs, holding the seat until its abolition for the 1918 election.[1][4] He was then returned to the House of Commons as MP for the new Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency, holding the seat until 1922.[1][5]

In 1913 Munro was sworn of the Privy Council[6] and appointed Lord Advocate[7][8] by H. H. Asquith. When David Lloyd George became Prime Minister in December 1916, Munro entered the cabinet as Secretary for Scotland,[9] a post he held until the end of the coalition government in October 1922. The latter year he was appointed to the bench as Lord Justice Clerk and President of Second Division of the Court of Session,[10] taking the judicial title Lord Alness. He also held the office of Honourable Bencher, Lincoln's Inn in 1924.[1]

Following his retirement from the bench in 1933, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Alness, of Alness in the County of Ross and Cromarty, on 27 June 1934.[11] He returned to political office in May 1940 when Winston Churchill appointed him a Lord-in-waiting (government whip) in the newly formed war coalition,[12] sitting as a Liberal National. He retained this post (as one of few non-Conservatives) in Churchill's brief 1945 caretaker government. In 1947 he was invested as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire.[1]

Lord Alness was also a Deputy Lieutenant of Edinburgh.[1]

Personal life

Lord Alness was twice married. He married firstly Edith Gwladys Evans, daughter of Reverend John Lewellyan Evans, in 1898. After her death in September 1920 he married secondly Olga Marie Grumler, daughter of Jeanes Georges Grumler, in 1921. Both marriages were childless. Lord Alness died in October 1955, aged 87, when the barony became extinct.[1]

References

1. thepeerage.com Robert Munro, 1st and last Baron Alness
2. http://www.heriotrow.org/Robert-Munro/
3. Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1910
4. leighrayment.com House of Commons: West Lothian to Widnes
5. leighrayment.com House of Commons: Rochester to Ryedale
6. "No. 28783". The London Gazette. 19 December 1913. p. 9333.
7. "No. 12613". The Edinburgh Gazette. 4 November 1913. p. 1143.
8. "No. 28770". The London Gazette. 4 November 1913. p. 7676.
9. "No. 29860". The London Gazette. 12 December 1916. p. 12118.
10. "No. 32757". The London Gazette. 20 October 1922. p. 7369.
11. "No. 34067". The London Gazette. 6 July 1934. p. 4334.
12. "No. 34864". The London Gazette. 4 June 1940. p. 3351.

• Torrance, David, The Scottish Secretaries (Birlinn 2006)

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Robert Munro

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir Arthur Bignold	Member of Parliament for Wick Burghs January 1910–1918	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Roxburgh and Selkirk 1918–1922	Succeeded by Sir Thomas Henderson
Legal offices
Preceded by Alexander Ure	Lord Advocate 1913–1916	Succeeded by James Avon Clyde
Preceded by Lord Dickson	Lord Justice Clerk 1922–1933	Succeeded by Lord Aitchison
Political offices
Preceded by Harold Tennant	Secretary for Scotland 1916–1922	Succeeded by The Viscount Novar
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baron Alness 1934–1955	Extinct