The statue of Donald Dewar (1937-2000) with the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in the background.
Dewar was a graduate of the University of Glasgow who became a lawyer and in 1966 a Labour MP. In 1978 he won a famous victory over the Scottish Nationalists at the Garscadden bye-election and from 1984-1997 he served on the Labour shadow cabinet. In 1999 he was appointed Secretary of State for Scotland and campaigned energetically and skillfully for a "Yes" vote in the referendum for a devolved parliament in Scotland. He became the First Minister in that Parliament in 1999, but died 18 months later in October 2000.
In May 2002 a statue of Dewar by Kenny Mackay was unveiled at the top of Buchanan Street.
Reference: Mitchell Library, Illustrations vol 48, p 15
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
auditoria, auditoriums, concert halls, concert venues, Devolution, First Ministers, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Labour Party, lawyers, Members of Parliament, Members of the Scottish Parliament, MPs, MSPs, Scottish Parliament, sculptures, Secretaries of State for Scotland, statues