Home About Chat Users Issues Party Candidates Polling Firms Media News Polls Calendar Key Races United States President Senate House Governors International

New User Account
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource." 
Email: Password:

  Mabon, J. Dickson "Dick"
CANDIDATE DETAILS
AffiliationLabour  
  1981-01-01  
 
NameJ. Dickson "Dick" Mabon
Address
Glasgow, Scotland,, , United Kingdom
EmailNone
WebsiteNone
Born November 01, 1925
DiedApril 10, 2008 (82 years)
ContributorOld LW
Last ModifedOld LW
Jan 23, 2012 04:34am
Tags
InfoDr. Jesse Dickson Mabon was the unsuccessful Labour candidate for Bute and North Ayrshire in 1951, and Labour Co-operative candidate for Renfrewshire West in 1955. He was elected as Labour Co-operative member of parliament for Greenock at a by-election in December 1955, replacing Tony Benn as Labour's youngest MP. He held that seat (from 1974 Greenock and Port Glasgow) until 1983. He became a frontbench spokesman on health in 1962.

He was a junior minister as joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (1964–67) and as promoted to Minister of State for Scotland, 1967–70. After Labour lost the 1970 general election, he became Deputy Opposition Spokesman on Scotland, but resigned in April 1972 over Labour's attitude to the Common Market. Although he supported Roy Jenkins in the election for a new leader of the Labour party in 1976, Jim Callaghan appointed him as Minister of State in the Department of Energy (1976–79), where he took charge of North Sea oil. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1977.

He was also a Member of the Council of Europe and of the Assembly of the Western European Union, 1970–72 and 1974–76, and of the North Atlantic Assembly, 1980–82. He was Chairman of the European Movement, 1975–76 (and deputy Chairman, 1979–83), and Founder Chairman of the Manifesto Group in the Parliamentary Labour Party (1974–76), set up to counter the left-wing Tribune group.

He became a member of the Social Democratic Party in October 1981. The party was founded by the Gang of Four in March 1981, but Mabon later called himself a founder member of the party. He unsuccessfully contested Renfrew West and Inverclyde for the SDP in 1983 after the local Liberals refused to stand their candidate down for him in his previous seat, and fought Renfrew West again for the SDP/Alliance in 1987, and also the Lothians seat in the 1984 election for the European Parliament.

He remained with the Owen splinter SDP group after the merger with the Liberals until the dissolution and then rejoined Labour in 1991.


JOB APPROVAL POLLS

BOOKS
Title Purchase Contributor

EVENTS
Start Date End Date Type Title Contributor

NEWS
Date Category Headline Article Contributor

DISCUSSION
Importance? 0.00000 Average

FAMILY

INFORMATION LINKS
RACES
  06/11/1987 UK Parliament - Renfrew West & Inverclyde Lost 21.37% (-17.36%)
  06/14/1984 UK European Parliament - Lothians Lost 19.74% (-20.67%)
  06/09/1983 UK Parliament - Renfrew West & Inverclyde Lost 29.53% (-3.16%)
  03/26/1981 UK Parliament - Greenock & Port Glasgow - Party Switch Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
  12/04/1980 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet Election Lost 2.94% (-3.73%)
  05/03/1979 UK Parliament - Greenock & Port Glasgow Won 53.02% (+24.85%)
  10/10/1974 UK Parliament - Greenock & Port Glasgow Won 48.19% (+27.08%)
  02/28/1974 UK Parliament - Greenock & Port Glasgow Won 48.26% (+27.64%)
  11/01/1973 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet Election Lost 2.14% (-3.60%)
  06/18/1970 UK Parliament - Greenock Won 53.72% (+8.99%)
  03/31/1966 UK Parliament - Greenock Won 57.10% (+33.87%)
  10/15/1964 UK Parliament - Greenock Won 55.11% (+29.69%)
  10/08/1959 UK Parliament - Greenock Won 50.61% (+23.79%)
  12/08/1955 UK Parliament - Greenock - By-election Won 53.67% (+7.34%)
  05/26/1955 UK Parliament - Renfrewshire West Lost 44.76% (-10.49%)
  10/25/1951 UK Parliament - Bute and North Ayrshire Lost 35.84% (-28.32%)
ENDORSEMENTS
Social Democratic Party Leader - Jul 01, 1982 LD Roy Jenkins