William McDougall

Born	1878, St Mungo, Dumfriesshire
Died	24 February 1937, Peebles
Convener	Zetland County Council 1936–1937
Elections	6 (5 won)
Bayanne	Genealogy page

William Laidlaw McDougall was a native of Dumfriesshire who moved to Dunrossness in 1907 to become factor to John Bruce of the Bruce of Sumburgh family. He first was elected to the Lerwick Town Council in 1910, later failing to get on to the Zetland County Council for Nesting. In 1913, he was elected to represent Northmavine North. After this he represented Dunrossness South from 1919 until 1922, then again from 1929 until his death in 1937. He unsuccessfully contested the Nesting seat in the 1910 County Council election.

Biography

After completing his education, William entered the legal profession in Dumfriesshire with a firm that had links to the Jardine estate. Later, he had further legal training in Edinburgh and it was while there that he was appointed by Robert Bruce to be the factory of the Sumburgh estate in 1907. Robert had inherited Sumburgh after the death of John Bruce in 1907, but he did not want to live in Shetland, and so he formed the Sumburgh Company Ltd company and hired William to run the company after Robert Isbister died.

In 1910, he was appointed a Justice of the Peace.

A contribution to the Shetland Times explains more about William's background.

Political Career

Political career of William McDougall
Year	Election	Council	Votes	Result
1910	County Council Election December 1910 (Nesting)	Zetland County Council	30	Not elected
1913	County Council Election December 1913 (Northmavine North)	Zetland County Council	Unopposed	Elected
1919	County Council Election December 1919 (Dunrossness South)	Zetland County Council	97	Elected
1929	County Council Election December 1929 (Dunrossness South)	Zetland County Council	95	Elected
1932	County Council Election December 1932 (Dunrossness South)	Zetland County Council	Unopposed	Elected
1935	County Council Election December 1935 (Dunrossness South)	Zetland County Council	Unopposed	Elected

Offices Held

Zetland County Council

Preceded by
Thomas Anderson (i)

Member for
Northmavine North
1913–1919

Succeeded by

Andrew Garriock

Preceded by
John Irvine (i)

Member for
Dunrossness South
1919–1922

Succeeded by
William Leslie

Preceded by
William Leslie

Member for
Dunrossness South
1929–1937

Succeeded by
George Leslie (ii)

Conveners

Preceded by

Thomas Johnston

Convener
for Zetland County Council
1936–1937

Succeeded by

Adam Halcrow

Conveners of the Zetland County Council

John Bruce (1890–1907) · John Anderson (1907–1910) · James Grierson (1911–1913) · Robert D. Ganson (1914–1917) · John W. Robertson (1918–1923) · Henry Mouat (1924–1927) · James A. Smith (1928–1929) · Magnus Shearer (1930–1935) · Thomas Johnston (1935–1936) · William McDougall (1936–1937) · Adam Halcrow (1937–1938) · Edward Adie (1938–1943) · Robert J. H. Ganson (1944–1947) · William Thomson (1947–1955) · Prophet Smith (1955–1960) · Tom Henderson (1960–1963) · William Hamilton (1963–1967) · Robert A. Johnson (1967–1970) · Edward Thomason (1970–1973) · George Blance (1973–1975)

Northmavine North Members

Alexander Hay (1890–1890) · George Sinclair (1892–1895) · Andrew Robertson (1897–1901) · Robert Haldane (1903–1904) · Thomas Anderson (i) (1907–1910) · William McDougall (1913–1913) · Andrew Garriock (1919–1922) · John Tulloch (iv) (1925–1932) · James Johnson (1935–1945) · David Walker (1949–1949) · Joseph Peterson (ii) (1951–1952) · Hamish Brydone (1955–1961) · Andrew Cromarty (1964–1970) · Robert Balfour (1973–1973)

Dunrossness South Members

John Bruce (1890–1904) · William Fotheringham (1907–1913) · John Irvine (i) (1919–1919) · William McDougall (1919–1919) · William Leslie (1922–1928) · William McDougall (1929–1935) · George Leslie (ii) (1937–1938) · James Bairnson (1945–1949) · Magnus Flaws (i) (1952–1952) · James Gordon (1955–1961) · Raymond Bentley (1964–1973)