Andrew Bonar Law

After establishing himself successfully he met Annie Pitcairn Robley, daughter of a Glaswegian merchant, Harrington Robley. Soon they fell in love and got married in 1891. They had five sons—the first one being stillborn—and two daughters.

In 1909, Annie died which left him grief stricken for years. He never remarried despite his relatively young age and prosperous career.

In 1917, his third son, Charlie Law, a soldier, was killed at the Second Battle of Gaza. The same year, his eldest son, a pilot, was also shot down and killed. These tragic events left him shattered.

He was born on September 16, 1858, in Kingston, Colony of New Brunswick. to Reverend James Law, a minister of the Free Church of Scotland, and his wife, Eliza Kidston Law. He had a sister, Mary and three brothers, Robert, William and John.

When his mother died in 1861, his mother’s sister, Janet, traveled from Scotland to live with them and looked after the children. She stayed with them until his father remarried in 1870 and his new wife took over her duties.

As Janet was preparing for her return to Scotland, she suggested that Bonar come and live with her family for better future prospects. Both James and Bonar accepted this, and the boy left with his aunt.

Upon his arrival in Glasgow, he was enrolled at Gilbertfield School. In 1873, he was transferred to the High School of Glasgow, where he excelled in Greek, German and French with the aid of his sharp memory.

Even though he excelled in academics, it soon became evident that he was better suited to business than to university. At the age of 16, he left school to become a clerk at Kidston & Sons, a family merchant bank.

In 1885, the Kidston brothers retired and merged their bank with the Clydesdale Bank. The retiring brothers lent Bonar money to form a partnership in a Glasgow firm of iron merchants. As a result of his managerial efforts and relentless hard work, the firm flourished over the years.

In 1897, the Conservative Party prompted him to become their candidate for the seat of Glasgow Bridgeton. Later, he was offered the Glasgow Blackfriars and Hutchesontown seat, which he accepted after much persuasion.

In 1900 general elections, he successfully campaigned against his opponent from the Liberal Party and distinguished himself with his oratory and wit. As a result, he won and was elected to the parliament.

In 1902, when Prime Minister Arthur Balfour formed his government, Law was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade. He was a keen supporter of the tariff reform throughout his political career.

The issue of tariff reform split the Conservative Party, and Arthur Balfour resigned from his post as the Prime Minister in December 1905. The new Prime Minister, the Liberal Henry Campbell-Bannerman, immediately dissolved the parliament and announced the general elections.

He was an avid chess player in his childhood. He eventually became an excellent amateur player, and competed with internationally renowned chess masters.