Michael Noble, Baron Glenkinglas

For other people named Michael Noble, see Michael Noble (disambiguation).

Michael Antony Cristobal Noble, Baron Glenkinglas, PC (13 March 1913 – 15 May 1984) was a Scottish Conservative and Unionist politician.

The Right Honourable The Lord Glenkinglas PC
Photograph of Noble by Elliott & Fry, taken 26 September 1962.
President of the Board of Trade
In office 20 June 1970 – 15 October 1970
Prime Minister	Edward Heath
Preceded by	Roy Mason
Succeeded by	John Davies
Secretary of State for Scotland
In office 13 July 1962 – 16 October 1964
Prime Minister	Harold Macmillan Alec Douglas-Home
Preceded by	John Maclay
Succeeded by	William Ross
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office 29 November 1961 – 13 July 1962
Prime Minister	Harold Macmillan
Preceded by	Robin Chichester-Clark
Succeeded by	Gordon Campbell
Member of Parliament for Argyll
In office 12 June 1958 – 8 February 1974
Preceded by	Duncan McCallum
Succeeded by	Iain MacCormick
Personal details
Born	(1913-03-13)13 March 1913 Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain
Died	15 May 1984(1984-05-15) (aged 71) Cairndow, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Anne Pearson
Children	4
Alma mater	Magdalen College, Oxford
Profession	Landowner, farmer

Noble was the youngest son of Sir John Noble, 1st Baronet, and the grandson of Sir Andrew Noble, 1st Baronet, and was educated at Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford. A farmer, he was president of the Black Face Sheep Breeders' Association and the Highland Cattle Society. He was an Argyll County Councillor and a director of Associated Fisheries.

From a by-election in June 1958 until his retirement in 1974 he was Member of Parliament for Argyll.

Noble was a Scottish whip from 1960 and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 1961. He was Secretary of State for Scotland from 1962 to 1964 in the governments of Harold Macmillan and Alec Douglas-Home, taking over from John Maclay after the Night of the Long Knives. He returned to government as President of the Board of Trade in 1970 and as Minister for Trade from 1970 to 1972 under Edward Heath.

As Scottish Secretary, he presided over the last execution in Scotland when Henry John Burnett was hanged at Craiginches Prison in Aberdeen on the morning of 15 August 1963 by the hangman Harry Allen for the murder of merchant seaman Thomas Guyan.

On 3 May 1974 Noble was elevated with a life peerage as Baron Glenkinglas, of Cairndow in the County of Argyll.

Although he was a good 25 years younger than the architectural historian Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel, the two had a very friendly feud. Noble is said to have joked that they were "best of enemies."

He died in May 1984, aged 71.

Bibliography

• Torrance, David, The Scottish Secretaries (Birlinn 2006)
• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, ,

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Michael Noble