Constituency : Bath 1906-10, Peebles and Selkirk 1910-18, Peebles and Southern Midlothian 1918-22, North Cornwall 1929-32
Donald was one of two Liberal victors at Bath replacing a Tory and the Liberal Unionist Edmond Wodehouse who'd stepped down.
Donald was the son of a Scottish cordwainer although he was born in Lancashire. He became a solicitor. He was a strong supporter of the NSPCC. He was a Presbyterian. He stood for Bath in 1900.
Donald supported female suffrage.
Donald was narrowly defeated in January 1910 but got back in for Peebles and Selkirk in December.
Donald was a Deputy Speaker from 1911 to 1918. In 1916 he became chair of the Treasury Committee on enemy debts and the London Military Appeals Tribunal.
Donald was knighted in 1917.
Although Donald did not support Lloyd George he did not face a couponed candidate in 1918 and comfortably held off Labour in the new seat of Peebles and Southern Midlothian. He called for a trial of the Kaiser an heavy reparations.
When the depleted band of Aquithian Liberals met after the election, Donald was elected leader of the parliamentary party after hints from Asquith. He possibly only took the role to preserve Asquith's position.. He was officially the Leader of the Opposition because the Labour MPs did not have a leader and Sinn Fein stayed away. He was not a colourful personality but made a decent fist of the role. He supported the government line on peace He was criticised for a lack of attack on Chamberlain's autumn statement in 1919. He expressed doubts about Hugh Cecil's centrist schemes.
In 1920 Donald declared war on the Coalition Liberals after a fractious assembly at Leamington. He pledged support for any independent Liberal challenge to a coalitionist at constituency level.
When Asquith returned to the Commons in 1920 Donald stood down. He opposed Asquith's Irish policy.
A Unionist stood in 1922 and Donald fell to third place with Labour taking the seat.
Donald lost at Kilmarnock in 1923 ad Cardiff East in 1924. As President of the National Liberal Federation from 1923 to 1926, he negotiated with Lloyd George over use of his political Fund.
Donald eventually returned for North Cornwall in 1929 unseating the Tory MP despite declining an offer of financial help from Lloyd George. . He voted for the King's Speech in 1930. He held it narrowly in 1931 with the Tories refusing to give him a free run.
When the National Government was formed, MacDonald appointed Donald President of the Board of Education. He joined the Cabinet after the general election and was one of the dissenting voices on protection. He died less than a year later from cardiovascular disease. His son was the notorious traitor of the same name.
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