Sam Galbraith

Samuel Laird Galbraith (18 October 1945 – 18 August 2014) was a Scottish Labour Party politician who had previously been a neurosurgeon of international repute. He served as a Member of Parliament and a Member of the Scottish Parliament.

Galbraith was born in Clitheroe, Lancashire. He was educated at Greenock High School. He studied at Glasgow University, where he received honours in medicine. Galbraith was a respected neurosurgeon, whose skills saved many lives at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital.

At the 1987 general election, he was returned as Member of Parliament for the Strathkelvin and Bearsden constituency, and held the seat until standing down at the 2001 general election. He was a Scottish Office Minister between 1997 and 1999.

Galbraith served as Minister for Children and Education in the Scottish Executive under Donald Dewar from 1999 to 2000 and then as Minister for Environment, Sport and Culture. On 20 March 2001 he announced his resignation from ministerial office and his parliamentary seats for health reasons.

He was married, the father of three daughters. In prior years he was an avid mountaineer who had climbed all the Munros and also climbed in the Alps and Himalayas.

Galbraith received a lung transplant in 1990, at Freeman's Hospital Newcastle (where he continued to receive treatment), due to fibrosing alveolitis (the same condition which took the life of a sister).

From 2006 he was chairman of the Scottish Maritime Museum with facilities at Irvine, North Ayrshire and Dumbarton.

He died on 18 August 2014.