Pat Lally (1926 - 2018)

Labour Party activist, councillor and Glasgow Lord Provost

Pat Lally was born in 1926 in the Gorbals area of Glasgow. With his father dying when Pat was ten and then the outbreak of war, he effectively left school at the age of 13 in order to earn for his family, in various trades. In 1944 he was conscripted in to the RAF for three years, before returning to Glasgow. With the post-war Labour government in power, Pat joined his local Labour Party branch and thus began his 50-year involvement in local government politics. He debuted as an elected councillor in the 1966 elections, and, following a local career that saw him earn the nickname Lazarus along the way, because of his numerous colourful political come-backs, Pat Lally became Lord Provost of Glasgow in 1995, serving until 1999. He played a major role in the 1988 Garden Festival, the creation of the Royal Concert Hall and Glasgow becoming European City of Culture (1990) and City of Architecture (1999).

After retiring from Glasgow politics and resigning from the Labour Party in 2003, he made three more unsuccessful attempts to re-enter politics as an independent candidate in Scottish parliamentary elections in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

He was married to Peggy from 1968 until 2007, when his wife died on the polling day of his last failed election. The couple had two sons, Robert and Derek. He died on 8 June 2018.

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