James Dempsey (Scottish politician)

James Dempsey (6 February 1917 – 12 May 1982) was a Scottish Labour Party politician.

Dempsey was educated at Holy Family School, Mossend, the Co-operative College in Loughborough, and at the National Council of Labour Colleges. He was a clerk with a haulage firm and a councillor on Lanarkshire County Council from 1945. He later worked as a lecturer on political economy and a writer on local government.

Dempsey was Member of Parliament for Coatbridge and Airdrie from 1959 until his death in 1982. His maiden speech, on 28 October 1959, was on the subject of unemployment. His final appearance was asking a question about the Christmas payments for pensioners, on 18 January 1982. ^[1] He died in office in 1982, aged 65. His successor in the resulting by-election was Tom Clarke.

His son Brian is a successful businessman and a former director of Celtic F.C.. His brother John Dempsey (Bellshill) was a footballer for Ipswich town (England), Hamilton, Queen of the South, Newry Town (Ireland) and Cowdenbeath. John was also a football scout after his playing career, with Hamilton Academical, and more famously Glasgow Celtic for 11 years; from 1965 to 1976 he served under the late Jock Stein during the club's win in the 1967 European Cup Final.

References[]

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 5)
• Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1966 & 1979

External links[]

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by James Dempsey

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