Sir Charles Cameron, 1st Baronet

Sir Charles Cameron, 1st Baronet (18 December 1841 – 2 October 1924) was a Scottish doctor, newspaper editor and an advanced Liberal politician.

Cameron was born at Dublin, the son of John Cameron newspaper proprietor of Glasgow and Dublin. He was educated at Madras Medical College, St Andrew's, and at Trinity College, Dublin. He also studied at medical schools in Paris, Berlin, and Vienna, but never practised medicine. He became editor of the North British Daily Mail in 1864, and was managing proprietor of the paper from 1873.^[1]

At the 1874 general election Cameron was elected as one of the three Members of Parliament (MPs) for Glasgow.^[2] The constituency was broken up under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and he was elected at the 1885 general election as the MP for the new Glasgow College constituency.^[3] He held the seat until his defeat at the 1895 general election.^[3] Cameron was created baronet Cameron of Balclutha, Renfrew on 7 August 1893^[4] for his journalistic and parliamentary services.^[5] He was subsequently elected as MP for Glasgow Bridgeton at a by-election in February 1897,^[6] and held the seat until he stood down at the 1900 general election.^[6]

Cameron was an active member of the House of Commons. He was responsible for the Inebriates Acts, secured various reforms in the Scottish Liquor Laws and was a member of the Royal Commission on the Liquor Licensing Laws in 1895. He was also behind laws conferring the municipal franchise on women, and acts abolishing imprisonment for debt in Scotland and was a member of the Departmental Committee on Habitual Offenders (Scotland) in 1894. His resolution led to the adoption of sixpenny telegrams and he was on the Committee on Transit of Cattle Coastwise in 1893. He wrote a number of pamphlets on medical, social, and political subjects.^[7]

He served as president of the Cremation Society of Great Britain, as did his son and successor to the baronetcy.

Cameron lived at Glenridge, Virginia Water, where he enjoyed motoring, riding, and travel. He died at the age of 82.

Cameron married firstly Frances Caroline Macaulay in 1869. Their son John succeeded to the baronetcy. Frances died in 1899, and he married secondly Blanche Perman.

References

1. ^ Debretts Guide to the House of Commons 1886
2. ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 547. ISBN 0-900178-26-4. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 507. ISBN 0-900178-27-2. 
4. ^ London Gazette: no. 26430. p. 4521. 8 August 1893. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
5. ^ Leigh Rayment Baronets
6. ^ ^{a b} Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 504. ISBN 0-900178-27-2. 
7. ^ "Sir Charles Cameron". Who's Who in Glasgow 1909. Glasgow Digital Library. http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/eyrwho/eyrwho0403.htm. Retrieved 5 July 2010. 

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Charles Cameron

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Robert Dalglish William Graham George Anderson	Member of Parliament for Glasgow 1874 – 1885 With: George Anderson 1874-1885 Alexander Whitelaw 1874-1879 Charles Clow Tennant1879-1880 Robert Tweedie Middleton1880-1885 Thomas Russell1885	Constituency divided
New constituency (see Glasgow)	Member of Parliament for Glasgow College 1885 – 1895	Succeeded by John Maxwell Stirling-Maxwell
Preceded by Sir George Trevelyan	Member of Parliament for Glasgow Bridgeton 1897 – 1900	Succeeded by Charles Scott Dickson
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
New title	Baronet of Balclutha, Renfrewshire 1893 – 1924	Succeeded by John Cameron