John Letford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Letford
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Letford in 2011
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| Lord Provost of Dundee | |
| In office 2001–2012 |
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| Preceded by | Helen Wright |
| Succeeded by | Bob Duncan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 March 1935 Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Residences | Dundee, Scotland |
John Ross Letford is a Scottish politician who was born on March 5, 1935. He is well-known for being the Lord Provost of Dundee. This is a special role, like being the main civic leader of a city. He also served as a local councillor for the area of Lochee.
Mr. Letford was the Lord Provost for eleven years, from 2001 to 2012. This made him the longest-serving civic leader in the United Kingdom since the 1800s! He lives in the Charleston part of Dundee today.
Contents
Early Life and Career
John Letford was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. When he was eight years old, in 1943, his family moved to Dundee. After school, he started an apprenticeship at the Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company. He trained to be a marine coppersmith, working with copper on ships.
He also served in the Royal Air Force, which is part of the UK's armed forces. He was in the Air Force from 1956 to 1958.
Working in the Community
In 1989, John Letford started a new job. He became a training manager at an organization called Community Industry Rathbone. He worked there for 15 years, helping people learn new skills.
Later, he became a councillor for the Tayside Regional Council. He also became the chairman for the Labour Party in the Camperdown area.
Becoming Lord Provost
John Letford has been involved in local government for a long time. He joined the Dundee City Council in 1994. Before becoming Lord Provost, he was the Deputy Lord Provost.
In June 2001, he was elected as the Lord Provost of Dundee. He took over from Helen Wright. He won the election with 15 votes against 11 votes for the Scottish National Party candidate, David Bowes. He even received support from three Conservative councillors.
Re-election and Independence
John Letford was very popular in his role. He was re-elected as Lord Provost after the local elections in 2007. He was elected again after the 2007 Scottish local elections.
On March 24, 2009, he decided to leave the Labour Group on Dundee City Council. After that, he continued to serve as an independent councillor. This means he was not part of any political party group on the council.
Awards and Autobiography
In 2012, John Letford received a special award. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This award is given for great service to the community and local government.
In 2016, he shared his life story. He launched his autobiography, which is a book about his own life.
