Dickson Mabon facts for kids

Jesse Dickson Mabon (born November 1, 1925 – died April 10, 2008) was a Scottish politician, doctor, and business leader. People sometimes called him Dick Mabon. He helped start a group of Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) called The Manifesto Group. This group wanted to keep the Labour Party's ideas more in the middle, not too far left. He was an MP for the Labour Co-operative party until 1981. Then, he joined a new party called the SDP. He lost his seat in 1983 but later rejoined the Labour Party in 1991.

Dickson Mabon's Early Life and Education

Dickson Mabon was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 1, 1925. His father was a butcher, and his mother was Isabel Simpson. He went to several schools, including Possilpark Primary and North Kelvinside Academy.

During Second World War, he worked in coal mines as a "Bevin Boy". This was a special program where young men helped with mining instead of joining the army. After the war, he did his National Service, which was a period of military training.

University Days and Student Leadership

After his military service, Mabon studied medicine at the University of Glasgow. He was very active in student life. He led the Glasgow University Labour Club from 1948 to 1950. He also became the head of the National Association of Labour Students. Later, he was President of Glasgow University Union and the Scottish Union of Students.

In 1955, he won a famous debating competition called The Observer Mace. He was part of the team representing the University of Glasgow. This competition is now known as the John Smith Memorial Mace.

Mabon also wrote political articles for the Scottish Daily Record newspaper from 1955 to 1964. He even studied with Henry Kissinger at Harvard University in 1963. Besides his political work, he was a visiting doctor at Manor House Hospital in London.

Dickson Mabon's Political Journey

Dickson Mabon first tried to become a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1951 and 1955 but didn't win. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in the UK Parliament.

Becoming an MP and Junior Minister

In December 1955, he won a special election for the Greenock area. He became the youngest Labour MP at that time. He kept this seat until 1983, though the area's name changed to Greenock and Port Glasgow in 1974.

From 1964 to 1967, he worked as a junior minister, helping the Secretary of State for Scotland. He was then promoted to Minister of State for Scotland from 1967 to 1970.

When the Labour Party lost the 1970 election, he became a spokesperson for Scotland in the opposition. He later resigned because he disagreed with his party's views on the Common Market (now the European Union).

Working with North Sea Oil

Even though he supported a different leader, Jim Callaghan made him Minister of State in the Department of Energy from 1976 to 1979. In this role, he was in charge of North Sea oil, which was a very important energy source for the UK. In 1977, he became a Privy Counsellor, which is a special honor given to senior politicians.

Mabon was also involved in international groups. He was a member of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of the Western European Union. He also worked with the North Atlantic Assembly. He was the chairman of the European Movement for a time. He also started the Manifesto Group in the Labour Party to balance out other groups with different ideas.

Changing Political Parties

After Labour lost the 1979 election, Mabon was expected to take on a bigger role in the party. However, this didn't happen.

In October 1981, Mabon decided to leave the Labour Party and join the new Social Democratic Party (SDP). This party was started by some Labour MPs who were unhappy with the party's direction. Mabon saw himself as one of the founders of this new party.

He tried to win a seat for the SDP in the 1983 and 1987 elections but was not successful. He also ran for the European Parliament in 1984. Mabon helped with talks for the SDP to join with the Liberal Party. He then joined the new party formed from this merger, the Social and Liberal Democrats. However, he later rejoined the Labour Party in 1991. He became a strong supporter of Tony Blair's "New Labour" ideas.

Dickson Mabon's Later Life

After leaving Parliament, Dickson Mabon continued to be active. He was the chairman of SOS Children's Villages UK until 1993. This organization helps build homes for children in need. He tried to get an SOS Children's Village built in Scotland.

After rejoining the Labour Party in 1991, he became a member of the local Labour Party committee in Eastbourne until 2004.

Mabon also had a career in business. He was a director at Radio Clyde and East Midlands Electricity. He was also interested in medicine and became president of the Faculty of the History of Medicine in 1990. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and a Freeman of the City of London. From 1995 to 1996, he was the 74th President of the Faculty of Homeopathy.

Family Life

Dickson Mabon married Elizabeth Zinn, an actress, in 1970. They had one son together.

Death

Dickson Mabon passed away on April 10, 2008, at his home in Eastbourne. He was 82 years old. His wife and son survived him.