John Henderson (West Aberdeenshire MP)

John McDonald Henderson FCA (1846 – 20 November 1922) was a Scottish chartered accountant, barrister and Liberal Member of Parliament.

[3] He also had business interests, being a director of Thomas Bolton and Son Ltd, brass and copper manufacturers, the Lancashire United Tramways Company and other firms.

In domestic affairs, they advocated the concept of 'national efficiency', a policy never definitively set out, but the implication in the speeches of its leading lights was that the Liberal Party in government should take action to improve the social conditions, education and welfare of the population and reform aspects of the administration of government to maintain British economic, industrial and military competitiveness.

[6] In 1905, the sitting MP for Aberdeenshire West, Dr Robert Farquharson, decided to stand down at the next election, and Henderson was selected in his place.

[7] At the 1906 general election, Henderson duly held the seat by 5,949 votes to the 2,791 polled by his Unionist opponent, R McNeill, a majority of 3,158.

[9] Henderson held his seat against a new Tory opponent in January 1910, defeating Mr G Smith by 5,901 votes to 3,194, a majority of 2,707.

[12] While The Times newspaper reported that Lord Aberdeen was not taken very seriously in Ireland, his remarks nevertheless gave offence to Unionists there, as the Lord-Lieutenant was supposed to stay above party politics.

[14] Lord Aberdeen tried to smooth the waters by explaining that he had written to Henderson in his capacity as Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, but that backfired.

In a fuller explanation later, he had to clarify that in sending his letters to Henderson he had never meant to use the authority of the Lord-Lieutenancy of Aberdeenshire to influence voters in the general election.