George Robertson


(Lord Robertson of Port Ellen)

1946 -

Politician. Born in Port Ellen on island of Islay and educated at Dunoon Grammer School and the University of Dundee, Robertson served as Labour Member of Parliament for Hamilton (1978-99). He held several posts both within the Scottish and National Labour Parties, leading to his appointment as Secretary of State for Defence in the Blair government (1997). In 1999, he was elected as Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and raised to the peerage as Lord Robertson of Port Ellen. He guided NATO through their expansion into Eastern Europe and the building of a new relationship with Russia. He also pledged NATO support for the US following the terrorist attack on New York of September 11th, 2001.

In 1993, Robertson was named joint Parliamentarian of the Year for his role during the Maastricht Treaty ratification. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the German Order of Merit by the Federal German President (1991) and the Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania (2000). On his retiral from NATO, Robertson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honour by President George Bush and created a Knight of the Order of the Thistle (2004). He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Dundee and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Robertson lives in Dunblane.


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