James Brown, OBE, DL (16 December 1862 – 21 March 1939) was a Scottish Labour politician.
Early life
James Brown was born in the Whitletts area of Ayr, to James Brown (1839-1895) and Christina O'Hara (1840-1923). He had strong Scottish and Irish roots on both sides of his family. He lived most of his life in Annbank where he went to school.[1] In 1888 he married his wife Catherine "Katie" MacGregor Steel. They had five children together.
Career
He had started working in pits from the age of 12 and he later would become Secretary of the Ayrshire Miners' Union and of the Scottish Miners' National Union. He unsuccessfully contested North Ayrshire in January 1910 and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Ayrshire from 1918–1931 and from 1935 until his death in 1939. He was awarded the OBE in 1917, appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1930.
In 1927 he criticised the decision to include Walter Thomas Monnington's painting Parliamentary Union of England and Scotland, 1707[3] in the Palace of Westminster which he said in a debate should "get rid of this disgraceful picture and put something in its place which would be more true to history than it is." His Labour Party colleague, Dundee MP Tom Johnston further described the outrage at the inclusion of the painting by saying "the only historical painting in St Stephen's Hall representing an incident in Scottish history deals with an act of national humiliation."[4]
In his authorised biography Bill Shankly said that Brown won the election in South Ayrshire as the local voters "wouldn't vote Conservative" but that he was "too mild" and not a "keen socialist" for some of the more militant Labour members.[5]
His life story "From Pit To Palace" by Alexander Gammie was published in 1931. He taught at the local sunday school in Annbank,[1][6] and in his later years was unofficially nicknamed the "Uncrowned King of Annbank". According to newspapers, during his time as Lord High Commissioner he developed a rapport with George V.
In February 1935, Brown along with an agent were both injured in a car accident near Coatbridge.
James Brown died on 21 March 1939 in an Ayr nursing home at the age of 76 from heart failure, with his children at his bedside. George VI sent a personal telegram to his family expressing condolences. Newspapers reported that his last words were "Look after Katie"; referring to his wife, who was bedridden at home. She died in 1942.
The couple are buried in Annbank Cemetery, and there is a memorial for Brown in Annbank's Weston Avenue, the street he lived in for many years. Another street in Annbank, Brown's Crescent is named after him, as well as James Brown Avenue "Jabba" in Ayr.
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