Dates
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Existence: 27 May 1941
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5 April 2009
Biography
Professor Sir Donald Neil MacCormick (1941-2009) was a renowned legal philosopher, an internationally acknowledged authority on the legal theory of the European Union and a prominent figure in both Scottish and European politics. For 36 years, from 1972, he was professor of Public Law and the Law of Nature and Nations at the University of Edinburgh. He held office as Member of the European Parliament for the SNP from 1999-2004 and much of his work during his term in office related to constitutional and legal affairs and to the Convention. His mandate coincided with the re-establishment in 1999 of Scottish Parliament and a lot of his work concerned the proper representation of regions and sub-state nations in Europe, with special regard to the principle of subsidiarity.
MacCormick was born on 27 May 1941 in Glasgow. He was one of four Children of Margaret Miller and John MacCormick, a leading light of Scottish Nationalism and one of the founders of the SNP. In 1963, following his schooling at the High School of Glasgow, he graduated MA with 1st class honours in Philosophy and English from the University of Glasgow. He was to benefit from a Snell Exhibition and went on to continue his studies at Balliol College at the University of Oxford where he graduated with 1st class honours in law in 1965. It was during his time at Oxford that MacCormick developed an interest in legal philosophy having come under the influence of Herbert Hart.
In 1972, at the very young age of 31, MacCormick was appointed to the Regius chair of Public Law and the Law of Nature at Edinburgh, he held this post until his retirement in 2007. He was additionally Leverhulme research Professor at Edinburgh from 1997-1999 and from 2004-2008, and held the position of Dean of the Law Faculty from 1973-1976.
A Scottish Nationalist, MacCormick stood for the UK Parliament in five elections between 1979 and 1997, eventually becoming a member of the European Parliament between 1999 and 2004. During his time in office as MEP Professor MacCormick was a member of the Convention on the Future of Europe from 2002-2003, drafting the proposed Constitutional Treaty for the European Union. On three consecutive years he was voted Scottish Euro MP of the year at the Scottish Politicians of the Year Awards. In 2007 he was appointed as special adviser to the First Minister on European and External Affairs.
Throughout his career MacCormick was in demand as a Visiting Professor and was awarded seven honorary Doctorates and Foreign Membership of the Finnish Academy of Sciences. He was a longstanding member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and in 2004 was recipient of the Society's Royal Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement. In 1999 he was appointed Honorary Queens Counsel (England and Wales) and in 2001 he received his knighthood for services to scholarship in law.
Professor Sir Neil Donald MacCormick died from cancer on 5th April 2009.
Found in 9 Collections and/or Records:
Sub-Fonds — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Coll-1049/5
Scope and Contents
These papers represent the Communications work carried out by Neil MacCormick during his time as MEP. Parliament has it' own communications systems and press services as do each of the political groups but MEPs additionally carry out much of their own publicity. Neil MacCormick did so via direct publicity and
through his party offices using press releases, electronic media, television and radio. He also delivered seminars and lectures on relevant topics.The following series are...
Dates:
1999-2004
Sub-Fonds — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Coll-1049/4
Scope and Contents
These papers represent the constitutive work carried out by Professor Sir D Neil MacCormick during his exercise of office as MEP, 1999-2004. Through his constitutive work MacCormick contributed to SNP, UK, European Parliament and Common Fisheries Policy formulation and reform.
SNP Policy Formulation
UK Policy Formulation
European Parliament Policy Formulation
...
Dates:
1999-2004
Sub-Fonds — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Coll-1049/7
Scope and Contents
These papers represent the work carried out by Neil MacCormick on the Convention on the Future of Europe during his time in office as an MEP. The European Convention was a body established in December 2001 by the European Council as a result of the Laeken Declaration. The purpose of the Convention was to produce a
draft constitution for the European Union for the Council to finalise and adopt. The Convention completed its work in July 2003 with their Draft Treaty establishing a Constitution...
Dates:
1999-2004
Sub-Fonds — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Coll-1049/1
Scope and Contents
These papers represent the legislative and legislative-consultative work carried out by Professor Sir D Neil MacCormick during his exercise of office as MEP, 1999-2004. Legislative work represents those domains in which Parliament exercises powers of co-decision with the Council of Ministers and legislative-consultative the extent to which Parliament has rights to be consulted about, or to give or withhold consent to rule-making
decisions of the Council. Much of the documentation within this...
Dates:
1999-2004
Sub-Fonds — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Coll-1049/9
Scope and Contents
These files relate to cases concerning parliamentary immunity, and requests for waiver of that immunity, that came before the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Single Market. Over the 5 years of Neil MacCormick's mandate he was one of the pool of Rapporteurs that dealt with these issues.Parliamentary immunity, or legislative immunity, is a system in which members of the parliament or legislature are granted partial immunity from prosecution. Before prosecuting it is necessary...
Dates:
December 1999-June 2004
Sub-Fonds — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Coll-1049/8
Scope and Contents
Series of parliamentary questions and answers tabled by Sir Neil MacCormick during his time in office as MEP, 1999-2004. Also related correspondence and procedural documents.
Dates:
1999-2004
Sub-Fonds — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Coll-1049/2
Scope and Contents
These papers represent the policy-shaping work carried out by Professor Sir D Neil MacCormick during his exercise of office as MEP, 1999-2004. Policy-shaping work was carried out through debates on questions of importance, through urgent debates on human-rights and through responses to communications from the
Commission and European Council or Committees of Inquiry and Special Committees.
Reports for...
Dates:
1999-2004
Sub-Fonds — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Coll-1049/3
Scope and Contents
These papers represent the rights-implementation work carried out by Professor Sir D Neil MacCormick during his exercise of office as MEP, 1999-2004. Rights implementation work involved a combination of debates on general problems and taking up individual cases or issues with the appropriate authorities.The following series are represented within this sub-fonds:
Reports for Legal Affairs...
Dates:
1999-2004
Sub-Fonds — Box CLX-A-887
Identifier: Coll-1049/6
Scope and Contents
These papers represent the self-managerial tasks carried out during Neil MacCormick's exercise of office as MEP, 1999-2004. Parliament has important functions of self management in relation to making and applying its own rules of procedure. Many other important self-managerial tasks are carried out through elected
representatives in the Parliament's bureaus, in the Conference of Presidents of Political Groups, in the Conference of Committee Presidents, and in the College of Quaestors, but...
Dates:
February 2000-July 2004
