Death and funeral of Donald Dewar

On 11 October 2000, the inaugural First Minister of Scotland Donald Dewar died, aged 63, while in office. Dewar's funeral took place on 18 October at the Glasgow Cathedral and his ashes were scattered at Lochgilphead in Argyll. The day before his death, Dewar was admitted to the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh after suffering a brain haemorrhage which resulted in his death.

Death and funeral of Donald Dewar
Date11 October 2000
(Date of death)
18 October 2000
(Date of funeral)
VenueGlasgow Cathedral
LocationGlasgow, Scotland
CauseBrain haemorrhage
BurialSt Martin's Churchyard, Bladon
This article is part of
a series about
Donald Dewar
Dewar Ministry

UK General elections

Health problems and death

Dewar underwent tests at Stobhill Hospital which highlighted "minor irregularity" in his heart. In April 2000, he was admitted to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary for tests on his heart. His personal spokesperson, David Whitton, stated "he is as concerned about his health as anyone else would be.". Although Dewar was not going under surgery, considerations over whether to cancel foreign trips to Japan were under close watch.[1]

The following month, tests revealed Dewar had a faulty aortic valve. He underwent a four hour heart operation to repair a leaking heart valve.[2] Kenneth Davidson, who performed the surgery, said Dewar was making a "particularly speedy" recovery and described the operation as a success. Dewar was forced to take a three-month break and Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace took over as acting first minister. After returning to office, Dewar was described as being "visibly tired" and fears for his health at this stage are officially dismissed following a First Minister's Question Time.[3][4]

On 10 October 2000, Dewar sustained a harmless fall outside his official residence at Bute House following a meeting of the Scottish Cabinet.[5] He seemed fine at first, playing down its significance, but later that day suffered a massive brain haemorrhage which was possibly triggered by the anticoagulant medication he was taking following his heart surgery. Whitton told a news conference: ''Mr Dewar being Mr Dewar, didn't want a fuss to be made. He said he was OK.''

At 7pm, five hours after his fall, Dewar was admitted to the Western General Hospital In Edinburgh after his condition rapidly deteriorated. By 9pm, he was put on a life-support machine in the hospital's intensive care unit.[6] Dewar's condition worsened and he failed to regain consciousness. On 11 October at 12:18pm, Dewar was officially pronounced dead, aged 63.[7][8]

Funeral

Dewar's funeral took place on 18 October 2000 at the Glasgow Cathedral.[9][10]

Reactions

Dewar's death came as a shock to Scotland. UK Foreign Secretary described his death as "a tragedy for Donald and a tragedy for Scotland." Henry McLeish said: "this is a day of enormous sadness for Scotland and for me personally. Donald was devolution. The architect of the most successful constitutional change this century."[11]

Aftermath

Dewar was succeeded by Henry McLeish as First Minister.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Donald Dewar's year of ill health". the Guardian. 11 October 2000. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  2. "Dewar to have heart surgery". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  3. "BBC News | SCOTLAND | Timeline: Donald Dewar's death". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  4. Leonard, Richard (11 October 2020). "Donald Dewar died 20 years ago today but his vision of social justice lives on". Daily Record. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  5. "Donald Dewar critically ill after fall on pavement". The Independent. 10 October 2000. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  6. "Dewar fights for his life". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  7. "Donald Dewar dies in hospital, aged 63". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  8. "Remembering Donald Dewar - a decade on". BBC News. 3 October 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  9. "Dewar to have cathedral funeral". the Guardian. 13 October 2000. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  10. "Laughter and tears for Donald Dewar". the Guardian. 19 October 2000. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  11. "BBC NEWS | In Depth | Donald Dewar | Tributes flood in". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  12. "BBC News | SCOTLAND | McLeish wins first minister title". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.