Lord Provost of Edinburgh. Born in Bo'ness, McKay was educated at Dunfermline High School and George Heriot's School in Edinburgh, going on to success in business as an insurance broker and in property. Elected a town councillor for Edinburgh, he rose to become Lord Provost of the city (1969-72). His term included the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1970. As Provost, he was knighted in 1971 and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Heriot-Watt University in the same year. McKay was also a mason and served as Grand Master Mason of Scotland (1979-83).
He died in Edinburgh and his ashes were buried in the kirkyard of Cramond Parish Church. His portrait is held by the City Art Centre, while the Grand Lodge of Scotland named their Edinburgh care home Sir James McKay House in his honour. His daughter Kate married John Macsween (1939 - 2006), the haggis entrepreneur.
Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry
If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...
