Archibald Williamson, 1st Baron Forres

Who was Archibald Williamson, 1st Baron Forres?

Archibald Williamson, 1st Baron Forres PC, known as Sir Archibald Williamson, 1st Baronet, from 1909 to 1922, was a Scottish businessman and Liberal politician.

The eldest son of Stephen Williamson MP, and Annie Guthrie, Williamson was educated at Craigmount School, Edinburgh and at Edinburgh University. He was Liberal Member of Parliament for Elginshire and Nairnshire from 1906 to 1918 and then for Moray and Nairn until June 1922. He entered parliament in the aftermath of the 1906 Liberal landslide election, taking a seat from the Conservatives;

He was created a Baronet in 1909. He sought re-election 4 years later at the General Election and was returned with a reduced majority;

At the General Election in December 1910 in Elginshire and Nairnshire he was re-elected unopposed.

He was Chairman of a number of Home Office, Board of Trade and parliamentary committees and was a member of the Mesopotamia Commission of Enquiry in 1916. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1918. For the 1918 General Election his constituency was abolished and a new constituency Moray and Nairn was created for which he was adopted by the Liberals as candidate. As a supporter of David Lloyd George and his Coalition Government, he was endorsed as their candidate. As no other candidate came forward, he was again returned unopposed. Williamson held junior ministerial office as Financial Secretary to the War Office from 1919 to 1921. In June 1922, before the next general election, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Forres, of Glenogil in the County of Forfar.