Honorary Presidents
Lord Offord of Garvel CVO
The title of Honorary President is given to the person who has proposed the Immortal Memory at our Annual Celebration.
The Hon. President is an ambassador and figurehead of the club.
This year’s Honorary President is a proud son of Greenock: Lord Offord of Garvel CVO.
Malcolm Offord was born in Greenock and educated at Ardgowan Primary School and Greenock Academy. After graduating in Law from the University of Edinburgh he pursued a successful career in the City of London before returning to Scotland to develop his private equity firm in Edinburgh: Badenoch & Co.
He was enobled in October 2021 and currently holds the Offices of Under Secretary of State (Minister for Exports) and Under Secretary of State for Scotland.
The club is proud to have Lord Offord as our Honorary President for 2024.
1886 - 1956
1886 Lt. Col. W.O. Leitch
1887 Rev John Barclay
1888 Sheriff Nicolson
1889 Professor Blackie
1890 Lord Pearson
1891 Andrew Lang
1892 Provost David Masson
1893 Lord Blythswood
1894 Sir J.M. Barrie
1895 Professor Sir H. Jones
1896 Rev. John Watson (Ian MacLaren)
1897 Rev. Hugh MacMillan
1898 William Jacks
1899 Sir Thomas Sutherland
1900 William Wallace
1901 Robert Laird
1902 Sir James Sivewright
1903 Neil Munro
1904 T.P. O'Connor
1905 Professor William M. Dixon
1906 Rev. John Hunter
1907 Sir Hugh Shaw Stewart
1908 Sir John Ure Primrose,
1909 Principal Sir D. Macallister
1910 Sir Hugh Shaw Stewart
1911 Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway, Rt. Rev. A.E. Campbell
1912 Hugh P. McMillan
1913 Rt.Hon. Sir G.H. Reid
1914 Professor R.S. Rait
1915/18 FIRST WORLD WAR
1919 Lord Glenconner
1920 Rt.Hon. Robert Munro
1921 Professor Charles A. Martin
1922 Lord Sands
1923 General Sir I. Hamilton
1924 Earl of Elgin and Kincardine
1925 Sir Robert Bruce
1926 Rt. Rev. John White
1927 Principal A.M. Williams
1928 Rev. A. Boyd Scott
1929 Professor Charles Sarolea
1930 E.R. Mitchell
1931 Sir Joseph Dobbie
1932 Very Rev. Charles L. Warr
1933 Rev. Canon J. Wilkinson
1934 Rt. Hon. Sir G. Collins
1935 Professor J.L. Morison
1936 Sir Thomas Oliver
1937 Sir Thomas Oliver
1938 Ex-Provost J. Drummond jun.
1939 Rev. Adam Burnett
1940 D. Templeton.
1941 Rev. R.D. Langlands Seath
1942 John S. Clarke
1943 Sir Patrick Dollan
1944 The Earl of Rosebery
1945 Compton Mackenzie
1946 Eric Linklater
1947 Douglas Young
1948 The Earl of Selkirk
1949 Thomas B. Goudie
1950 Rev. Arthur Robertson
1951 Lt. Col. T.M. Riddell
1952 Rt. Hon. Thomas Johnston
1953 Lord Glentanar
1954 Professor John D. Mackie
1955 Rev. Dr. H.C. Whitley
1956 Ivor J.C. Brown
1957 - 2023
1957 Sir Robert Boothby
1958 Walter Elliot
1958 W.D. Cocker
1959 Professor David Daiches
1960 Ian MacArthur
1961 Lord Bruce
1962 C.M. Grieve
1963 George S. Fraser
1964 William McL. Dewar
1965 Professor Andrew Kay
1966 Sir Ian Moncrieffe of that Ilk
1967 Sheriff Francis Middleton
1968 Maurice Lindsay
1969 Dr. Hugh Gillies
1970. Rev. Robert Paterson
1971 J.E.T. Thompson
1972 Professor W. Barclay
1973 The Hon. The Lord Birsay
1974 Sir Donald Liddle
1975 George Johnston
1976 Rt. Hon Lord Barnetson
1977 Very Rev. R. Leonard Small
1978 Rev. J.T. Runciman
1979 Thomas G. Anderson
1980 Very Rev. Peter P. Brodie
1981 Shedden Alexander
1982 Rev. John W. Cook
1983 Dr Ian Grimble
1984 Lord Ross of Marnock
1985 Farquhar MacIntosh
1986 Sir Kenneth Alexander
1987 Dr. James Connor, President, The Burns Federation
1988 Grant Carson
1989 D. Wilson Ogilvie
1990 Dr Andrew Noble
1991 Joe Campbell
1992 Professor David Purdie
1993 Drew Cochrane
1994 Rt. Hon. Earl of Elgin & Kincardine
1995 Professor Edward Cowan
1996 Leonard Murray
1997 Rev. Melville Schofield
1998 John Htet Khin
1999 Murdo Morrison
2000 Ronald Munton
2001 Carl McDougall
2002 Lord Steel of Aikwood
2003 Peter Kormylo
2004 David Sibbald
2005 James Bowes
2006 Sheena Wellington
2007 Rev. Fraser Aitken
2008 Dr. Archibald Fleming
2009 Dr. Ken Simpson
2010 John Shirkie
2011 Jack Glenny
2012 Alasdair Hendry
2013 Dr. Kirsteen McCue
2014 Jane Brown
2015 Angus Middleton
2016 Joe Gatherer
2017 Jim Thomson
2018 Moira Hansen
2019 Bobby Kane
2020 Baron Wallace of Tankerness QC, FRSE
2021 Professor Gerard Carruthers FRSE
2022 Andrew S. McKenzie
2023 Alan D. Beck
2024 Lord Offord of Garvel CVO