William Baxter (Scottish politician)

For other people named William Baxter, see William Baxter (disambiguation).

William Baxter
Member of Parliament for West Stirlingshire
In office 8 October 1959 – 20 September 1974
Preceded by	Alfred Balfour
Succeeded by	Dennis Canavan
Personal details
Born	4 December 1911
Died	20 April 1979(1979-04-20) (aged 67)
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Heriot-Watt University
Occupation	politician farmer

William Baxter (4 December 1911 – 20 April 1979) was a British Labour Party politician, building contractor and farmer.

He was a conscientious objector in the Second World War.

Having served as a councillor, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for West Stirlingshire from 1959 until he stood down at the October 1974 general election.

He was asked to stand down by his Constituency Labour Party after the indecisive election of February 1974, when he appeared on television calling for an all-party government of national unity, and suggested that the Duke of Edinburgh could chair its meetings.

In 1961, as a protest against bipartisan support for British nuclear weapons, he voted against the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and British Army Estimates in the House of Commons, and was suspended from the Labour Party Whip from March 1961 until May 1963.

Baxter received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1976.

References

• Times Guide to the House of Commons February 1974
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages

External links

• Portraits of William Baxter at the National Portrait Gallery, London