Education
He was educated at Saint Mary"s School, Melrose, Sedbergh School, and the Scottish College of Textiles.
He was educated at Saint Mary"s School, Melrose, Sedbergh School, and the Scottish College of Textiles.
He served as a Major in the 8th Gurkha Rifles (Indian Army), 1946 and as a Major in the King"s Own Scottish Borderers from 1956 to 1972. He held a number of offices in the Scottish Conservative Association and was Chairman of the Conservative Party in Scotland from 1975 until 1980. He held a number of business appointments, mainly in the textile, advertising and construction sectors.
He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1974 and was knighted in 1981.
46th United Kingdom Parliament. 47th United Kingdom Parliament. 48th United Kingdom Parliament]
He served as a Selkirk County and Galashiels Town Councillor from 1949 to 1959, and as Member of Parliament for Aberdeenshire West from February 1974 until 1983.
He was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland from 1979 until 1981, and was a Member of the Council of Europe.