Editing Jimmy Halliday

{{Short description|Scottish author, historian and politician (1927–2013)}}
{{Other people|James Halliday}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = James Halliday
| image = 
| imagesize = 
| caption = 
| order1 = [[Scottish National Party|Leader of the Scottish National Party]]
| term_start1 = May 1956
| term_end1 = May 1960
| predecessor1 = [[Robert McIntyre (politician)|Robert McIntyre]]
| successor1 = [[Arthur Donaldson]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1927|2|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Wemyss Bay]], [[Renfrewshire]], Scotland
| death_date = {{death date and age |df=yes|2013|1|3|1927|2|27}}
| death_place = [[Dundee]], Scotland
| nationality = [[Scotland|Scottish]]
| spouse = Olive Campbell <small>(m. 1955–2013)</small>
| children = 2
| party = [[Scottish National Party]]  
| alma_mater = [[University of Glasgow]]
| profession = [[Teacher]], [[lecturer]] ([[History]])
}}

'''James Halliday''' (27 February 1927 – 3 January 2013) was a Scottish author, historian and politician. He was the chairman (leader) of the [[Scottish National Party]] (SNP) from 1956 to 1960.<ref name=history>{{cite book |title= SNP: the history of the Scottish National Party |last= Lynch |first= Peter |year= 2002 |publisher= Welsh Academic Press |isbn= 1-86057-003-8 |page= 101 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=6L2IAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>

==Early life==
Halliday was born in Woodburn Cottage, [[Wemyss Bay]], [[Renfrewshire]], the son of James Wightman Halliday, an [[estate (land)|estate]] gardener. Halliday was educated at Skelmorlie Primary School and [[Greenock Academy]].<ref name = "bbc"/> He joined the SNP in 1943, aged 16, and also registered for military service in [[World War II]]. Halliday began studying at the [[University of Glasgow]] in 1944, joining the [[Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association]] and playing an active part in [[Glasgow University Union|union]] debates. Then [[tuberculosis]] of the spine left him unable to stand until 1947, and it was 1952 before he graduated.

==Educator==
Halliday worked teaching history at Coatbridge High School, [[Uddingston Grammar School]] and [[Dunfermline High School, Dunfermline|Dunfermline High School]]. From 1967 to 1988 he taught at the Dundee College of Education, initially joining as a lecturer in history before becoming principal lecturer of history and head of department in 1979.<ref name = "bbc"/> He specialised in [[modern history]] and had a particular interest in the history, politics and constitution of the [[United States]].<ref name = "bbc"/>

==Political office==
In 1956, Halliday was elected leader of the SNP when [[Robert McIntyre (politician)|Robert McIntyre]] decided to step down due to his belief that there was some opposition to him remaining leader amongst the party ranks.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/obituaries/13087299.Jimmy_Halliday/ |title=Jimmy Halliday |work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |date=8 January 2013 |access-date=2 March 2016}}</ref> Although aged only 28, Halliday seemed the natural replacement as he had been the SNP parliamentary candidate for [[Stirling and Falkirk (UK Parliament constituency)|Stirling and Falkirk Burghs]] at the [[1955 United Kingdom general election|1955 general election]], and the only other SNP candidate besides McIntyre.<ref name = "bbc">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-20905955 |title=Jimmy Halliday: Former SNP leader dies aged 85 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=3 January 2013 |access-date=3 January 2013}}</ref> Halliday contested the Stirling and Falkirk Burghs seat again at the [[1959 United Kingdom general election|1959]] general election and [[West Fife (UK Parliament constituency)|West Fife]] in [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970]].<ref name = "bbc"/>

Halliday led the SNP for four years but felt he had to resign due to the pressures of working life. Halliday remained active in the SNP, and was a regular columnist for the [[Scots Independent]] newspaper and chairman of the company which publishes it.<ref name=Scotsman>{{cite news |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-jimmy-halliday-author-historian-and-politician-1-2719521 |title=Obituary: Jimmy Halliday, author, historian and politician |work=[[The Scotsman]] |first=Gordon |last=Wilson |date=5 January 2013 |access-date=2 March 2016}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1955 he married Olive Campbell and they had two sons.<ref name=Scotsman />

==Published works==
Source:<ref name=Scotsman/>
Source:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-news/in-brief/6501-jimmy-halliday-first-minister-leads-tributes-to-former-leader|title=Jimmy Halliday: First Minister leads tributes to former leader|date=5 January 2013|publisher=Newsnet Scotland|access-date=11 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107184454/http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-news/in-brief/6501-jimmy-halliday-first-minister-leads-tributes-to-former-leader|archive-date=2013-01-07}}</ref>
* ''America (World in Transformation)''  (1970) 
* ''Scotland: A Concise History''  (1990) 
* ''1820 Rising: The [[Radical War]]''  (1993) 
* ''Yours for Scotland - a Memoir''  (2011)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box
  | title  = [[Scottish National Party|Chairman (Leader) of the Scottish National Party]]
  | years  = 1956–1960
  | before = [[Robert McIntyre (politician)|Robert McIntyre]]
  | after  = [[Arthur Donaldson]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{SNP}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halliday, James}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Scottish National Party]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow]]
[[Category:People from Inverclyde]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish historians]]
[[Category:Scottish schoolteachers]]
[[Category:People associated with Dundee]]
[[Category:Scottish National Party parliamentary candidates]]