View source for George MacLeod

{{Short description|Scottish soldier and cleric (1895–1991)}}
{{for multi|the physician to Queen Victoria|George Husband Baird MacLeod|other people|George McLeod (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type             = minister
| honorific-prefix = [[The Very Reverend]]
| name             = The Lord MacLeod of Fuinary
| honorific-suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|Bt|MC|size=100%}}
| title            = [[Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland|Moderator of the General Assembly]]
| image            = George Fielden MacLeod, Baron MacLeod of Fuinary.jpg
| image_size       = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = 
| church           = [[Church of Scotland]]
| term             = 1957 to 1958
| predecessor      = [[Robert Scott (minister)|Robert Scott]]
| successor        = [[John Fraser (minister)|John Fraser]]
| other_post       = Leader of the [[Iona Community]] (1938–1967)
<!---------- Orders ---------->
| ordination       = 1924 
| ordained_by      = 
<!---------- Personal details ---------->
| birth_name       = George Fielden MacLeod
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1895|6|17|df=y}}
| birth_place      = 
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|1991|6|27|1895|6|17|df=y}}
| death_place      = <!-- as birth_place -->
| buried           = <!-- or | tomb = -->
| resting_place_coordinates = 
| nationality      = Scottish
| religion         = [[Presbyterianism]]
| residence        = 
| parents          = 
| spouse           = <!-- or | partner = -->
| children         = 
| occupation       = 
| profession       = <!-- or | previous_post = -->
| education        = [[Winchester College]]
| alma_mater       = [[Oriel College, Oxford]] <br /> [[University of Edinburgh]] <br /> [[Union Theological Seminary (New York City)|Union Theological Seminary, New York]]
<!---------- Military service ---------->
| module           = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| branch        = [[British Army]]
| branch_label  = Service
| serviceyears  = 1914–1918
| rank          = [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]]
| servicenumber = <!-- Do not use data from primary sources such as service records -->
| unit          = [[Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders]]
| commands      = 
| battles_label = 
| battles       = [[World War I]]
| awards        = [[Military Cross]] <br /> [[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|Croix de Guerre]] (France)
}}
}}
'''George Fielden MacLeod, Baron MacLeod of Fuinary''', {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|Bt|MC}} (17 June 1895 &ndash; 27 June 1991) was a Scottish soldier and clergyman; he was one of the best known, most influential and unconventional [[Church of Scotland]] ministers of the 20th century. He was the founder of the [[Iona Community]] on the island of Iona and served as [[Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]] (1957).

==Early life==
He was born in [[Glasgow]] in 1895. His father (Sir [[Sir John MacLeod, 1st Baronet|John MacLeod]]) was a successful businessman before entering politics as a [[Unionist Party (Scotland)|Unionist]] MP; his mother Edith was from a wealthy [[Lancashire|Lancastrian]] family (owning cotton mills). From this background and heir to a baronetcy, George MacLeod was educated at [[Winchester College]] and [[Oriel College, Oxford]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Millar|first1=Barbara|title=The war hero who fell to his knees and surrendered to Christ|url=http://www.scottishreview.net/Backpage135.shtml|publisher=Scottish Review|access-date=17 January 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123151549/http://www.scottishreview.net/Backpage135.shtml|archive-date=23 January 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> His paternal grandfather was the highly respected Revd [[Norman Macleod (1812–1872)|Norman MacLeod]] of the [[Barony Church]], [[Glasgow]], a [[Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]] and Chaplain to [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]].

==First World War service==
Upon the outbreak of the [[First World War]], and having been a cadet in the [[Officers Training Corps]], MacLeod was commissioned in the [[Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders]], British Army, as a [[Temporary rank|temporary]] [[second lieutenant]] on 19 September 1914.<ref name="LG 22 September 1914">{{London Gazette |issue= 28910 |date= 22 September 1914 |pages= 7483-7484 }}</ref> He first saw active service in Greece. After falling ill with [[dysentery]], he was sent back to Scotland to recuperate, after which he was posted to [[Flanders]]. On 24 June 1917, he was made an [[adjutant]] and promoted to [[Acting rank|acting]] [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]].<ref name="LG 31 August 1917">{{London Gazette |issue= 30266 |date= 31 August 1917 |page= 9137 |supp= y }}</ref> He saw action at [[Ypres]] and [[Battle of Passchendaele|Passchendaele]]. He was awarded the [[Military Cross]] (MC) in October 1917,<ref name="LG 16 October 1917">{{London Gazette |issue= 30340 |date= 16 October 1917 |pages= 10707-10710 |supp= y }}</ref> and the French [[Croix de guerre 1914-1918 (France)|Croix de Guerre with palm]] for bravery in 1918.<ref name=ODNB>{{Cite ODNB|first=Duncan B. |last=Forrester |authorlink= Duncan B. Forrester |title=MacLeod, George Fielden, Baron MacLeod of Fuinary (1895–1991) |date= 23 September 2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/49886}}</ref>

{{quote|T./Lt. George Fielden MacLeod, Arg. & Suth'd Highrs. <br /> For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty as adjutant, volunteering to go out and do duty in the hastily-organised line of defence when no company officers remained. He carried out his duties as adjutant as well, and was of the greatest assistance in keeping cohesion.| Military Cross citation in ''The London Gazette''<ref name="LG MC citation">{{London Gazette |issue= 30561 |date= 5 March 1918 |page= 2924 |supp= y }}</ref>}}

==Ministry==
His experience of this total war profoundly affected MacLeod, leading him to train for the ministry. He studied divinity at the [[University of Edinburgh]], followed by a year at [[Union Theological Seminary (Manhattan)|Union Theological Seminary]], New York City (1921-1922). Upon return to Scotland he was invited to become Assistant at [[St Giles' Cathedral]]. During this period he became increasingly concerned over the issue of social inequality in Scotland. In 1924 he was ordained as a [[Church of Scotland]] minister, to be Padre of [[Toc H]] (Talbot House) in Scotland. Such non-parochial appointments were extremely unusual at the time. Following a disagreement, he resigned from Toc H in 1926, but was invited to become associate minister at [[St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh]].

His wartime experiences, combined with a profound disillusionment by post-World War I political rhetoric of "a land fit for heroes," deeply affected him. Confronted by the realities of the [[Great Depression in the United Kingdom|depression]] and unemployment faced by those less privileged than he, MacLeod gradually moved towards supporting [[socialism]] and [[pacifism]]. From 1937 he became actively involved with the [[Peace Pledge Union]] (PPU), and from 1958 with the [[Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament]] (CND).

Meanwhile, in 1930, to considerable surprise, he decided to leave St Cuthbert's Church to become minister at [[Govan Old Parish Church]]&mdash;encountering the considerable social problems caused by poverty in this part of Glasgow. The pace of work took its toll and in 1932 he suffered a [[mental breakdown|breakdown]]. He spent some time recuperating in [[Jerusalem]] in early 1933. While worshipping in an [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] on [[Easter Day]] he felt a profound spiritual experience, feeling a sense of recovery of the Church as the corporate [[Body of Christ]]. This would strongly influence the rest of his life.

He resigned (giving up the financial security of a [[parish]] minister's [[stipend]]) to become the full-time leader of the [[Iona Community]], which he founded in 1938. His efforts started in the early 1930s when he bought Fingleton Mill as a refuge for Glasgow's poor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/AlfGoesToWork|title=''Alf Goes To Work'': Robert Newman Film Collection: Internet Archive|year=1960 }}</ref> The idea of rebuilding [[Iona Abbey]] using ministers, students and unemployed labourers working together influenced his thinking; the Iona Community developed as an international [[ecumenical]] community, with offices in [[Govan]] and a presence on the island of [[Iona]]. Underpinning the fellowship of the Community were four emphases: mission, political involvement, a ministry of healing, and worship, by which MacLeod and the Community sought a way to connect the Church with an industrial age. He led a series of parish missions (sometimes known as a 'Message of Friendship') in Scottish parishes associated with the Community, and supported the 1950 Glasgow Churches' Campaign and the 1950s [[Tell Scotland Movement]]. However, he opposed the invitation promoted by Rev. [[Tom Allan (minister)|Tom Allan]] to Dr [[Billy Graham]] that led to the 1955 All-Scotland Crusade.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Highet|first1=John|title=The Scottish Churches: a review of their state 400 years after the Reformation|date=1960|publisher=Skeffington & Son|location=London|pages=127–131}}</ref>

== Global policy ==
He was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting a [[world constitution]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Letters from Thane Read asking Helen Keller to sign the World Constitution for world peace. 1961 |url=https://www.afb.org/HelenKellerArchive?a=d&d=A-HK01-07-B149-F04-022.1.8 |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Helen Keller Archive |publisher=American Foundation for the Blind}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Letter from World Constitution Coordinating Committee to Helen, enclosing current materials |url=https://www.afb.org/HelenKellerArchive?a=d&d=A-HK01-07-B154-F05-028.1.6 |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Helen Keller Archive |publisher=American Foundation for the Blind}}</ref> As a result, for the first time in human history, a [[World Constituent Assembly]] convened to draft and adopt the [[Constitution for the Federation of Earth]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Preparing earth constitution {{!}} Global Strategies & Solutions {{!}} The Encyclopedia of World Problems |url=http://encyclopedia.uia.org/en/strategy/193465 |url-status= |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=The Encyclopedia of World Problems {{!}} Union of International Associations (UIA)}}</ref>

==Later life==
During World War II, he served as [[locum]] minister at [[Canongate Kirk]] in Edinburgh&mdash;a parish also then afflicted by poverty.

In 1948 (aged 53) he married Lorna; immediately after the wedding they travelled to Australia for a preaching tour. The 1940s and early 1950s were a difficult period professionally. MacLeod was involved in what became known as the "Govan Case." He was invited by the congregation to return to [[Govan Old Parish Church]] in 1948, but the Presbytery of Glasgow refused to approve his appointment, given his wish to continue his active leadership of the Iona Community. The case was referred to the General Assembly; ultimately he was refused permission to combine the two posts.

Despite a feeling of hurt and rejection over the "Govan Case", MacLeod remained one of the highest-profile figures in the [[Church of Scotland]]. In 1957 he was elected [[Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]], following one Commissioner standing up and asking whether it was appropriate that a man who had been described as being "half way to Rome and half way to Moscow" should be Moderator.

On 6 February 1967, MacLeod was awarded a [[peerage]], becoming '''Baron MacLeod of Fuinary''', of [[Fuinary]] in [[Morven, Argyll|Morven]] in the [[County of Argyll]];<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=44243 |date=7 February 1967 |page=1429}}</ref> the only Church of Scotland minister to have been thus honoured.{{cn|date=January 2023}} He was [[Introduction (House of Lords)|introduced to the House]] on 15 February 1967.<ref>{{cite Hansard |jurisdiction= United Kingdom |title= LORD MACLEOD OF FUINARY |url= https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1967/feb/15/lord-macleod-of-fuinary |house= House of Lords |date= 15 February 1967 |volume= 280 |column_start= 287 }}</ref> He later became the first peer to represent the [[Green Party (UK)|Green Party]].<ref>Derek Wall (1994-03) ''Weaving a Bower Against Endless Night: An Illustrated History of the UK Green Party'' (published March 1994 to mark the 21st anniversary of the Party) {{ISBN|1-873557-08-6}}.</ref>

From 1968 to 1971, he was [[Rector of the University of Glasgow]].<ref name="Story">{{cite web |title=Biography of Reverend George MacLeod Lord MacLeod of Fuinary |url=https://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH1060&type=P |website=The University of Glasgow Story |publisher=University of Glasgow |access-date=8 January 2023 |date=1 February 2008}}</ref> The rector is one of the most senior posts at the [[University of Glasgow]] and is elected by the students.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Rector |url=https://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/officer/?id=6 |website=The University of Glasgow Story |publisher=University of Glasgow |access-date=8 January 2023}}</ref>

George MacLeod's influence on the [[Church of Scotland]] was considerable. His initial emphasis on parish mission was generally welcomed and favourably compared to the campaigns of his contemporary, [[D.P. Thomson]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bardgett|first1=Frank|title=Scotland's Evangelist: D.P. Thomson|date=2010|publisher=The Handsel Press|location=Haddington|isbn=978-1-871828-71-9|pages=170–172, 199–200, 213–214, 302}}</ref> Although dismissed by some as a maverick, he helped to raise awareness of [[pacificism]], [[ecumenism]] and [[social justice]] issues, and inspired many to become involved with such questions. Through the creation of the [[Iona Community]], he was a pioneer of new forms of ministry (outside more conventional parish or [[chaplain]]cy structures).

In 1989 MacLeod received the [[Templeton Prize]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lord MacLeod|url=https://www.templetonprize.org/laureate/lord-macleod/|access-date=2021-08-04|website=Templeton Prize|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Arms==
{{Infobox COA wide
|image = MacLeod Achievement.png
|escutcheon =  Azure a Castle triple-towered Argent masoned Sable windows and Portcullis Gules on a Chief of the second an Open Book proper leaved of the fourth
|crest = A Bull's Head cabossed Sable horned Or between two Keys wards uppermost of the last
|motto = Hold Fast <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/lp1958%20m.htm|title=Life Peerages - M}}</ref>}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
*''George MacLeod. Founder of the Iona Community.'' by Ron Ferguson, Wild Goose Publications (Glasgow). New edition 2001. {{ISBN|1-901557-53-7}}
*''Daily Readings with George MacLeod.'' ed Ron Ferguson, Wild Goose Publications (Glasgow). New edition 2001. {{ISBN|1-901557-55-3}}
*''The Whole Earth Shall Cry Glory: Iona prayers.'' by George MacLeod, Wild Goose Publications (Glasgow). New edition 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-905010-10-3}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-aca}}
{{succession box|title=[[Rector of the University of Glasgow]]|years=1968&ndash;1971|before=[[John Reith, 1st Baron Reith|The Lord Reith]]|after=[[Jimmy Reid]]}}
{{s-reg|uk-bt}}
{{s-bef|before=Ian MacLeod}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[MacLeod baronets|Baronet]]<br />'''(of Fuinary)''' | years=1944–1991}}
{{s-aft|after=John MacLeod}}
{{s-end}}

{{Templeton Prize Laureates}}
{{Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland|state=collapsed}}
{{World Constitutional Convention call signatories}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacLeod, George}}
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:Scottish anti-war activists]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]
[[Category:Templeton Prize laureates]]
[[Category:People educated at Winchester College]]
[[Category:Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Clergy from Glasgow]]
[[Category:Scottish pacifists]]
[[Category:Calvinist pacifists]]
[[Category:Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders officers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:20th-century ministers of the Church of Scotland]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers]]
[[Category:Ordained peers]]
[[Category:Macleod baronets|104]]
[[Category:Scottish socialists]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]]
[[Category:Iona Community members]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Iona Community]]
[[Category:Govan]]
[[Category:Rectors of the University of Glasgow]]
[[Category:Scottish Christian socialists]]
[[Category:British recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)]]
[[Category:Presbyterian socialists]]
[[Category:Green Party life peers]]
[[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Glasgow]]
[[Category:World Constitutional Convention call signatories]]