Ian McColl (journalist)

Ian McColl CBE (22 February 1915 – 21 June 2005), was a Scottish journalist, editor and Liberal Party politician.

Background

He was the eldest son of John McColl and Sarah Isabella (aka Morag) McPherson, of Glasgow and Bunessan, Isle of Mull. He was educated at Hillhead High School, Glasgow. He married, in 1968, Brenda McKean. They had one daughter. He served during the war, with the Royal Air Force, 1940–46 (despatches, 1945). He was with Air Crew, Coastal Command 202 Squadron.

Political career

In 1931 he joined the Liberal Party at the age of 16. In 1933 he was elected to the executive of the Scottish Liberal Federation. In 1938 he became Honorary Secretary of the Scottish Liberal Federation. McColl twice stood as a Liberal party candidate for the United Kingdom Parliament; in the 1945 General Election at Dumfriesshire finishing third

General Election 1945 Electorate 47,983

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Liberal	Niall Malcolm Stewart Macpherson	16,465	47.4
	Labour	D Dunwoodie	12,388	35.7
	Liberal	Fl-Off. Ian McColl	5,850	16.9
Majority			4,077	11.7
Turnout				72.3
	National Liberal hold		Swing

and at the 1950 General Election at Greenock coming second.

General Election 1950 Electorate 48,792

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Hector McNeil	20,548	50.6
	Liberal	Ian McColl	11,638	28.7
	Independent Labour	J. S. Thomson	6,458	15.9
	Communist	John Ross Campbell	1,228	3.0
	Irish Anti-Partitionist	O. Brown	718	1.8
Majority			8,910	21.9
Turnout				83.2
	Labour win

Media career

He joined the Scottish Daily Express as a cub reporter in 1933. He was Editor of the Scottish Daily Express from 1961 to 1971. He was Editor of the Daily Express from 1971 to 1974. He was a Director of Express Newspapers Ltd, from 1971 to 1982. He was Chairman of Scottish Express Newspapers Ltd, from 1975 to 1982. He was a Member of the Press Council from 1975 to 1978. He was a Vice-President of the Newspaper Press Fund from 1981 to 2005. He was Chairman of the Media Division for the 1986 Commonwealth Games, Scotland from 1983 to 1986. He was honoured with the Bank of Scotland, Scottish Press Life Achievement Award, in 1993.

He was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1983.