Life of George Dempster, Scottish M. P. of Dunnichen (1732-1818)
| Author: | Lang, Andrew | |
| Year: | 1998 | |
| Pages: | 352 | |
| ISBN: | 0-7734-8386-1 978-0-7734-8386-6 | |
| Price: | $239.95 + shipping | |
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First full-length biography of Dempster, valuable for eighteenth-century political and economic history. During his 28 years in Parliament, Dempster played an active role: he opposed the American War, supported freedom of the press, the younger Pitt's plans for strengthening the national economy and Pitt's attempts to facilitate trade between Britain and Ireland. He supported also the encouragement of industry, fisheries and the building of roads. He was a proprietor (shareholder) and a director of the East India Company, active in debates at East India House. He is chiefly remembered as an improving landlord, striving energetically to introduce the latest agricultural methods.
Reviews
“. . . clearly written, and informed by a close knowledge of Dempster’s correspondence and other relevant manuscript sources. . . What does emerge very clearly from the book is Dempster’s recurrent sense of unease as an MP, but also, by the latter stages of his parliamentary career, his increasingly effective and constructive role at Westminster on issues to do with Scottish economic improvement. . . . This is, in sum, a solid biography of a worthy subject. Lang has pursued his subject through his myriad activities and provided a clear exposition of these.” – The Scottish Historical Review