Earl of Perth

Born: 13 May, 1907, in London Died: 25 November, 2002, in Perth, aged 95

LORD Perth was a much admired and respected figure in Perthshire and throughout Scotland. He made his home at Stobhall, overlooking the Tay, and combined a distinguished career in the City and in Whitehall with a fervent devotion to the arts in Scotland.

He amassed a magnificent library, collected some fine pictures and loved artefacts all around him. He was an exacting - but widely popular - figure on various boards; he resolutely maintained an independent mind and a refreshingly large dash of humour. He campaigned courageously to save many historic buildings from the bulldozer and was a champion of many Scottish causes. He was an early and enthusiastic advocate of a Scottish assembly.

John David Drummond was the son of Sir Eric Drummond, who had been the first Secretary-General of the League of Nations. Because his father was often absent on diplomatic duties, "young David", as he was dubbed in the family, was brought up by his aunt, the Duchess of Norfolk, in the splendours of Arundel Castle in Sussex.

In keeping with his devout Catholic beliefs (to which he adhered throughout his life), he attended Downside and Trinity College, Cambridge, and after a few years in the City he joined, when war broke out, the Intelligence Corps. He was dispatched to Paris to report on the state of French army and troop movements. Just before the Nazis arrived, he commandeered a large Bentley and made a swift exit (with Noel Coward as a passenger). He was then seconded to the War Cabinet Office in 1942 and finished the war in the Ministry of Production.

He realised that to restore the family finances he had to pursue a career other than the diplomatic service. He joined the merchant bank of Schroders, which was then re-establishing itself after the war. Perth was largely instrumental in this process and by the mid-Fifties Schroders was once again a major City force.

In 1956, a dinner was held in a Pall Mall club to celebrate Perth’s appointment as president of the bank. Over coffee, Perth was informed that the Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden, wanted to speak to him urgently. Well aware that this could be a jovial hoax perpetrated by his colleagues, he slipped away and took a taxi to Whitehall. Somewhat gingerly, he rang the bell at No 10, and to his amazement was immediately ushered into the Cabinet Room. Sir Anthony offered him the post of Minister of State at the Colonial Office (though by the time Perth assumed office Eden had been succeeded by Harold Macmillan).

It was post-Suez, and Britain’s influence was at a low ebb. Macmillan realised that the UK’s colonial policies needed reassessing. It was a turbulent time for Perth, but with his minister, Iain Macleod, a more liberal British policy unfolded. On 5 February, 1960, Macmillan made his historic speech in Cape Town about "a wind of change blowing through the continent of Africa".

Perth had to contend with massive social and economic problems throughout Africa, but his ability to immerse himself in a subject’s complexities and see through rival claims proved vital. There were many entrenched opinions, but by patience, diplomacy and a degree of cunning at least Britain’s position was clarified. He often said the process would take time but confessed to being saddened by events in Kenya and Uganda.

In 1962, Macmillan had a drastic reorganisation of his government and Perth left office. He became the First Commissioner of the Crown Estates, the largest landowners in the country. It was a post he fulfilled with much energy, drive and financial skill.

In 1951, on the death of his father, he inherited the title, which dates from 1488. He also became the Hereditary Thane of Lennox and Hereditary Steward of Menteith and Strathearn and he was keen to establish a base in Scotland. He heard that a distant relative, Lord Ancaster, was to offer Stobhall, a 15th-century ruin outside Perth, to the nation. The land had had connections with the Drummond family since the 14th century.

Ancaster was amazed that anyone wanted the tumbled-down buildings ("I think you are absolutely mad ... it is about to roll into the Tay") and promptly gave it to Perth as a gift. Over the years, Perth built an impressive but charming family home which reflected his own love of pictures, books and objects. He (and his wife) created a glorious garden on the banks of the Tay and, rightly, took much pride in their arboretum.

It was in 1987 that Perth became a trustee of the National Museums of Scotland. A few years later, at the request of the Marquess of Bute, he became chairman of the charitable appeal to raise funds for the projected Museum of Scotland. It was an onerous task, requiring much time, financial acumen and energy. He gave unstinting service and led the appeal with devoted zeal and no little style and wit.

Nothing typified his independent spirit more than when the Prince of Wales resigned as patron of the Museum over the procedure being followed to select the architects. Perth, with the support of Lord Bute and the board, accepted Prince Charles’s resignation with sadness and continued with the selection process. He was, justifiably, proud when the impressive building opened a few years ago.

Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, chairman of the trustees of the National Museums of Scotland, said yesterday: "The many millions of visitors to the Museum of Scotland have much to be grateful for to Lord Perth. His boundless energy, his contacts and his great personal charm were all instrumental in raising the millions required to deliver one of the most important museum developments in the UK. His family - the Drummonds - have been part of Scottish history since the days of Robert the Bruce and no-one was better equipped than Lord Perth to promote a project dedicated to the history of Scotland.

"Lord Perth’s role and generosity will also be remembered by a sundial which was commissioned by his good friends and neighbours in Perthshire, the Cayzer family, who generously funded a sundial which is carved into the stonework of the Museum of Scotland in his honour. The sundial is inscribed with the Drummond family motto: ‘Gang Warily’.".

Perth was associated with numerous other campaigns. Perhaps the most prominent was to transform the former John Watson’s College at the foot of Ravelston Dykes into the magnificent Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. He took real pride in witnessing its popularity and, without doubt, the bracing new water sculptures now in the gardens would have afforded him special pleasure.

He was also associated with the conservation of Hawthornden Castle and the magnificent folly in Stirlingshire, the Dunmore Pineapple. As well as being a trustee of the National Library of Scotland he was a member of the Court of St Andrews University. He held an honorary degree at St Andrews, was a Fellow of the Royal Incorporation of Architects of Scotland and of the Society of Antiquaries.

In 1934 he married Nancy Seymour Fincke. She died in 1996 and he is survived by their two sons, the elder of whom, Viscount Strathallan, becomes the 18th Earl of Perth.