George Swinton

Captain George Sitwell Campbell Swinton CBE DL (10 May 1859 – 17 January 1937) was a long-serving Scottish politician and officer of arms.

Swinton was born at 7 Darnaway Street[1] on the Moray Estate in west Edinburgh, the second son of Archibald Campbell Swinton of Kimmerghame, Berwickshire, and Georgiana Caroline Sitwell, daughter of Sir George Sitwell, 2nd Baronet of Renishaw.

Swinton was appointed a Sub-Lieutenant in the Haddington, Berwick, Linlithgow and Peebles Artillery on 7 February 1877[2] (which commission he resigned on 11 May 1878[3]), gazetted to the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot in May 1878,[4] promoted to lieutenant on 23 January 1881, to captain on 11 September 1888, and retired in 1893.

He was Chairman of the Parks and Open Spaces Committee in 1904–1905, and Chief Whip of the Municipal Reform Party (the Conservative group on the council) from 1903 to 1912.

[8] He was attached by the Colonial Office to the Representatives of the Overseas Dominions attending the Imperial Conferences in 1917 and 1918; foreshadowed, in August 1917, the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle; Honorary Secretary of the Scottish National War Memorial Committee, 1918.