Joseph Westwood

Joseph Westwood PC (11 February 1884 – 17 July 1948) was a Scottish Labour politician.

Educated at Buckhaven Higher Grade School, he worked as a draper's apprentice, messenger boy and miner. Westwood was an Industrial Organiser for Fife miners from 1916–18 and a political organiser for Scottish Miners from 1918 to 1929.

Biography

Westwood was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Peebles and Southern Midlothian from November 1922 until his defeat in October 1931. He was an unsuccessful candidate for East Fife in a by-election in February 1933 and was elected for Stirling and Falkirk in 1935, for which he sat until his death.

He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to William Adamson as Secretary of State for Scotland from June 1929, and served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland from March to August 1931 and again from May 1940 until May 1945. He was Secretary of State for Scotland from July 1945 until October 1947. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1943.

He died in a car accident in 1948. His is buried in Dysart Cemetery, by Kirkcaldy in Fife, together with his wife.

References

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

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Joseph Westwood

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir Donald Maclean	Member of Parliament for Peebles and Southern Midlothian 1922–1931	Succeeded by Archibald Maule Ramsay
Preceded by James Reid	Member of Parliament for Stirling and Falkirk 1935–1948	Succeeded by Malcolm MacPherson
Political offices
Preceded by Earl of Rosebery	Secretary of State for Scotland 1945-1947	Succeeded by Arthur Woodburn