Former Lord Chancellor Lord James Mackay of Clashfern has died at the age of 99. The Scottish legal giant served as Lord Chancellor under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1987 to 1997, making him one of the longest-serving holders of the office in modern times.
Legal Career and Early Life
Born in Edinburgh in 1927, Lord Mackay was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1965. He served as Dean of Faculty of Advocates, the leader of the Scots bar, from 1976 to 1979. He was then appointed Lord Advocate, the senior law officer in Scotland, and was created a life peer for the Conservative Party in 1979.
Lord Mackay served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Scotland from 1984 to 1985 and as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary from 1985 to 1987 before becoming Lord Chancellor. He finally retired from the House of Lords in 2022 at the age of 95.
Tributes in the House of Lords
An audible sigh came from peers as the Lord Speaker informed them of Lord Mackay’s death on Tuesday. Lord Forsyth of Drumlean said: “I regret to inform the House of the death of the noble and learned lord, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, on July 7. There will be an opportunity for the House to pay tribute to Lord Mackay in due course but, on behalf of the House, I extend our condolences to the noble and learned lord’s family and friends.”
Attorney General Lord Hermer added: “Lord Mackay, across all parties, was a hugely respected figure. He was a giant in the law and I’m sure we all join in sending our condolences to his family.” Shadow Attorney General Lord Wolfson of Tredegar also paid tribute, saying: “He was a great conservative, a great lawyer, a great Lord Chancellor, and also a man of profound Christian faith, who lived out the words of Scripture, ‘He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.'”
