View source for Archibald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso

{{redirect|Archibald Sinclair|the British journalist|Archibald Sinclair (journalist)}}
{{Short description|British Liberal Party politician (1890–1970)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name             = The Viscount Thurso
| birthname        = Archibald Henry Macdonald Sinclair
| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Thistle|KT]] [[Order of St Michael and St George|CMG]] [[Privy Council (United Kingdom)|PC]]
| image            = The Air Ministry, 1939-1945. CH10270 – Edit 1.jpg
| caption          = Archibald Sinclair as Secretary of State for Air during [[World War II]]
| order            = [[Leader of the Liberal Party (UK)|Leader of the Liberal Party]]
| deputy           = [[Percy Harris (politician)|Percy Harris]] (1940–1945)
| term_start       = 26 November 1935
| term_end         = 26 July 1945
| predecessor      = [[Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel|Herbert Samuel]]
| successor        = [[Clement Davies]]
| order1           = [[Secretary of State for Air]]
| term_start1      = 11 May 1940
| term_end1        = 23 May 1945
| monarch1         = [[George VI]]
| primeminister1   = [[Winston Churchill]]
| predecessor1     = [[Samuel Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood|Sir Samuel Hoare, Bt]]
| successor1       = [[Harold Macmillan]]
| order2           = Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
| term_start2      = 4 November 1931
| term_end2        = 26 November 1935
| leader2          = Herbert Samuel
| predecessor2     = Herbert Samuel
| successor2       = Percy Harris (1940–1945)
| order3           = [[Secretary of State for Scotland]]
| term_start3      = 25 August 1931
| term_end3        = 28 September 1932
| monarch3         = [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]]
| primeminister3   = [[Ramsay MacDonald]]
| predecessor3     = [[William Adamson]]
| successor3       = [[Godfrey Collins|Sir Godfrey Collins]]
| order4           = [[Chief Whip of the Liberal Democrats|Liberal Chief Whip]]
| term_start4      = 1930
| term_end4        = 25 August 1931
| leader4          = [[David Lloyd George]]
| predecessor4     = [[Robert Hutchison, 1st Baron Hutchison of Montrose|Robert Hutchison]]
| successor4       = [[Goronwy Owen (politician)|Goronwy Owen]]
|office5        = Member of the [[House of Lords]]<br />[[Lords Temporal|Lord Temporal]]
|term_start5      = 7 July 1954<ref>{{Hansard|url=1954/jul/07/viscount-thurso|house=lords}}</ref>
|term_end5       = 15 June 1970<br />[[Hereditary peer|Hereditary Peerage]]
|predecessor5       = ''[[Viscount Thurso|Peerage created]]''
| successor5       = [[Robin Sinclair, 2nd Viscount Thurso|The 2nd Viscount Thurso]]
| office6 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Caithness and Sutherland (UK Parliament constituency)|Caithness and Sutherland]]
| term_start6      = 15 November 1922
| term_end6        = 5 July 1945
| predecessor6     = [[Leicester Harmsworth]]
| successor6       = [[Eric Gandar Dower]]
| birth_date       = {{birth-date|22 October 1890|}}
| birth_place      = [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]], London, England or [[Caithness]], Scotland
| death_date       = {{death-date and age|15 June 1970|22 October 1890}}
| death_place      = [[Twickenham]], London, England
| party            = [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
| alma_mater       = [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
| signature        = Archibald_Sinclair_Signature.png
| spouse           = {{marriage|Marigold Forbes<br>|1918}}
}}
'''Archibald Henry Macdonald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso''', {{post-nominals|size=100%|sep=,|country=GBR|KT|CMG|PC}} (22 October 1890 – 15 June 1970), known as '''Sir Archibald Sinclair''' between 1912 and 1952, and often as '''Archie Sinclair''', was a British politician and leader of the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]].<ref>Full coverage of his career appears in Gerard DeGroot, ''Liberal Crusader: The Life of Sir Archibald Sinclair'' (New York University Press, 1993).</ref>

==Background and education==
Sinclair was born in 1890 in [[Caithness]], Scotland.<ref name = NYT>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/1970/06/17/archives/lord-thurso-led-british-liberals-churchill-comrade-is-dead-wartime.html|title = Lors Thurso, LED British Libels|work = [[The New York Times]]|date = 17 June 1970|access-date= 11 February 2021}}</ref> Sinclair was the son Clarence Granville Sinclair, and his American wife Mabel Sands, daughter of [[Mahlon Day Sands]], and half-sister of [[Ethel Sands]]. His mother died shortly after his birth, and his father in 1895. He was brought up in families including those of his paternal grandfather [[Sir John Sinclair, 3rd Baronet|Sir Tollemache Sinclair, 3rd Baronet]], his uncle [[William Sinclair (archdeacon of London)|William Macdonald Sinclair]], and [[Owen Williams (British Army officer)|Owen Williams]], married to his aunt Nina.<ref name ="ODNB">{{cite ODNB|id=36108|first=Paul|last=Addison|author-link = Paul Addison|title=Sinclair, Archibald Henry Macdonald, first Viscount Thurso}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Groot |first1=Gerard J. De |title=Liberal Crusader: The Life of Sir Archibald Sinclair |date=1993 |publisher=C. Hurst |isbn=978-1-85065-182-6 |page=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J7XiewCEo5wC&pg=PA2 |language=en}}</ref>

Educated at [[Eton College]] and the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]], Sinclair was commissioned into the [[Life Guards (United Kingdom)|Life Guards]] in 1910. In 1912, he succeeded his grandfather as the fourth Baronet of [[Ulbster]].<ref name ="ODNB"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Malcolm Sands |title=Descendants of James Sands of Block Island. With notes on the Walker, Hutchinson, Ray, Guthrie, Palgrave, Cornell, Ayscough, Middagh, Holt, and Henshaw families |date=1949 |publisher=New York, Priv. Print. |page=54 |url=https://archive.org/details/descendantsofjam00wils_0/page/54/mode/1up}}</ref> He became one of the largest landowners in the United Kingdom, owning an estate of about {{convert|100,000|acres}} in Caithness.<ref name ="ODNB"/> His recreations included [[polo]] and flying: he was a keen aviator. At this period he made a friend of [[Winston Churchill]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stafford |first1=David |author-link = David A. T. Stafford |title=Oblivion Or Glory: 1921 and the Making of Winston Churchill |date=2019 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-23404-6 |page=144 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W9-zDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA144 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Wrigley">{{cite book |last1=Wrigley |first1=Chris |title=Winston Churchill: A Biographical Companion |date=2002 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-87436-990-8 |page=306 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HBUslUOGOgkC&pg=PA306 |language=en}}</ref>

[[Colin Coote]] in his memoirs wrote of Sinclair's "irresistible charm, allied to the face and figure of an Adonis".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coote |first1=Colin |title=Editorial: The Memoirs of Colin R. Coote |date=1965 |publisher=Eyre & Spottiswoode |page=159 |language=en}}</ref> The handsome Sinclair was at this period thought of as a possible husband for Nellie Hozier, younger sister of [[Clementine Churchill]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shakespeare |first1=Nicholas |author-link = Nicholas Shakespeare|title=Six Minutes in May: How Churchill Unexpectedly Became Prime Minister |date=5 October 2017 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-4735-2171-1 |page=142 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VmfYDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT142 |language=en}}</ref>

==Military career==
[[File:WinstonChurchill1916Army.gif|thumb|left|Major Archibald Sinclair, seated to the left, with Commanding Officer Winston Churchill 6th Battalion, [[Royal Scots Fusiliers]] officers in 1916]]
[[File:Coat of Arms of Archibald Henry Macdonald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso, KT, CMG, PC.png|thumb|200px|Shield of Arms of Archibald Henry Macdonald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso, KT, CMG, PC]]
Sinclair served on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] during [[World War I]], in 1915 as aide de camp to [[J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone|J. E. B. Seely]] who commanded the [[Canadian Cavalry Brigade]]. He rose to the rank of [[Major (rank)|Major]] in the [[Guards Machine Gun Regiment]].<ref name ="ODNB"/>

After Winston Churchill resigned as [[First Lord of the Admiralty]], Sinclair served as his [[second-in-command]] when Churchill took up command at the beginning of 1916 of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. Churchill arranged the transfer with [[Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig|Douglas Haig]], who turned down the request that Seely should be moved too, and also refused him [[Edward Spears]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Churchill |first1=Winston |title=Winston and Archie: The Letters of Sir Archibald Sinclair and Winston S. Churchill 1915–1960 |date=2005 |publisher=Politico's |isbn=978-1-84275-040-7 |page=4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EadnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA4 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1= Birkenhead |first1 = Earl of |author1-link = Frederick Smith, 2nd Earl of Birkenhead |title=Churchill, 1874-1922 |date=1989 |publisher=Harrap |isbn=978-0-245-54779-9 |page=416 |language=en}}</ref> They were stationed in the [[Ploegsteert Wood]] sector of the Western Front.<ref name ="ODNB"/>

==Working with Churchill==
From 1919 to 1921 Sinclair served as Personal Military Secretary to Churchill, when he returned to the Cabinet as [[Secretary of State for War]], and then accompanied him to the [[Secretary of State for the Colonies|Colonial Office]] as [[Private Secretary]].<ref name ="ODNB"/>

Sinclair's duties included acting as liaison for Churchill with the [[Secret Intelligence Service]]. He had dealings with [[George Alexander Hill]] and [[Malcolm Wollcombe]], agent in the [[Soviet Union]] for [[Mansfield Smith-Cumming]]. [[Stewart Menzies]] who had the official liaison role at the [[War Office]] was a personal friend. Sinclair collated [[humint]] and [[technical intelligence]] for Churchill, for example on [[Leonid Krasin]]. He also assisted in the delicate handling of [[Boris Savinkov]], who was brought to London.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stafford |first1=David |author-link = David A. T. Stafford|title=Churchill and Secret Service |date=2007 |publisher=Little, Brown Book Group Limited |isbn=978-0-349-12107-9 |pages=135–136 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LTpIPQAACAAJ |language=en}}</ref> It was Sinclair who introduced the prominent British agent [[Sidney Reilly]] to Nikolai Alekseyev, intelligence chief of the [[White movement|White Russian]] leader [[Alexander Guchkov]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Spence |first1=Richard B. |author-link = Richard B. Spence |title=Trust No One: The Secret World of Sidney Reilly |date=2002 |publisher=Feral House |isbn=978-0-922915-79-8 |page=273 |language=en}}</ref>

==Political career 1922–1939==
In 1922, Sinclair entered the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for [[Caithness and Sutherland (UK Parliament constituency)|Caithness and Sutherland]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32775 |date=8 December 1922 |page=8712 }}</ref> supporting [[David Lloyd George]] and defeating the incumbent Liberal supporter of [[H. H. Asquith]]. He rose through the Liberal ranks as the party shrank in Parliament, becoming [[Chief Whip]] by 1930.<ref Name ="ODNB"/> At this period he worked on land policy with Lloyd George, including the "Tartan Book" that addressed [[Scottish devolution]].<ref name="Wrigley"/><ref name="DLB">{{cite book|last=Grayson|first=Dr Richard S.|author-link = Richard Grayson (academic)|editor1-first=Duncan|editor1-last = Brack|display-editors = et al|title=Dictionary of Liberal Biography|year=1998|publisher=Politico's Publishing|location=London|isbn=1902301099|pages=329–331|chapter=Sir Archibald Sinclair (Viscount Thurso) 1890-1970}}</ref>

In July 1931, a meeting took place at Sinclair's house, where [[Oswald Mosley]] and [[Harold Nicolson]] met Churchill, Lloyd George and [[Brendan Bracken]], to discuss a political alliance.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dorril |first1=Stephen |author-link = Stephen Dorril |title=Blackshirt: Sir Oswald Mosley and British Fascism |date=2006 |publisher=Viking |isbn=978-0-670-86999-2 |page=176 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Lysaght |first1=Charles Edward |author1-link = Charles Lysaght|title=Brendan Bracken |date=1980 |publisher=Allen Lane |isbn=978-0-7139-0969-2 |page=180 |language=en}}</ref> About a month later, the Liberal Party joined the [[National Government (1931)|National Government]] of [[Ramsay MacDonald]], with Sinclair appointed [[Secretary of State for Scotland]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33748 |date=28 August 1931 |page=5616 }}</ref> He was sworn of the [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|Privy Council]] at the same time.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33748 |date=28 August 1931 |page=5615 }}</ref> In 1932, he, together with other Liberal ministers led by [[Herbert Samuel]], resigned from the government in protest at the [[Ottawa Conference]] introducing [[Imperial Preference]].<ref name="Wrigley"/><ref name="DLB"/>

In the [[1935 United Kingdom general election|1935 general election]], Herbert Samuel lost his seat, and Sinclair became the Liberal Party's leader at the head of 20 MPs. During the [[Abdication Crisis]] of 1936, his name was put forward as a possible leader of a government that might be formed if [[Edward VIII]] held onto the throne against the wishes of the [[National Government (1935–1937)|Baldwin administration]]. Churchill came to support the King's position, and [[Lord Beaverbrook]] entertained the idea of Sinclair as Prime Minister. Both [[Clement Attlee]] for Labour and Sinclair for the Liberals, however, in late November ruled out forming a government under those circumstances.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frederick Winston Furneaux Smith, Earl of Birkenhead |title=Walter Monckton. The Life of Viscount Monckton of Brenchley |date=1969 |publisher=London |page=138 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GH51zQEACAAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Charmley |first1=John |author-link = John Charmley|title=Churchill: The End of Glory: A Political Biography |date=1993 |publisher=Faber & Faber |isbn=978-0-571-30940-5 |page=441 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o9bGAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT441 |language=en}}</ref>

Sinclair consistently opposed the [[European interwar dictatorships|continental dictatorships]] and kept the [[National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)|National Liberals]] at arms length.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Barberis |first1=Peter |last2=McHugh |first2=John |last3=Tyldesley |first3=Mike |title=Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations: Parties, Groups and Movements of the 20th Century |date=2000 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-8264-5814-8 |page=300 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qps14mSlghcC&pg=PA300 |language=en}}</ref> He supported the [[League of Nations]] and [[collective security]]. He backed, as did Attlee, Churchill's book ''[[Arms and the Covenant]]''.<ref name="DLB"/> He joined the [[Anti-Nazi Council]] of Eugen Spier, with Churchill and [[Violet Bonham Carter]], [[Margaret Bondfield]] and [[Hugh Dalton]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grayson |first1=Richard S. |author-link = Richard Grayson (academic)|title=Liberals, International Relations and Appeasement: The Liberal Party, 1919–1939 |date=2001 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-27090-2 |page=124 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gpH7AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA124 |language=en}}</ref>  Public opinion at this point of the later 1930s by no means agreed, and [[John Alfred Spender]] attacked Sinclair in ''[[The Times]]'' on foreign policy, claiming that he, like the [[League of Nations Union]], wished for war with the [[Axis powers]].<ref name="DLB"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Groot |first1=Gerard J. De |title=Liberal Crusader: The Life of Sir Archibald Sinclair |date=1993 |publisher=C. Hurst |isbn=978-1-85065-182-6 |page=134 |language=en}}</ref>

At the time of the [[Munich Crisis]] in September 1938, Sinclair was one of the anti-appeasement group who gathered around Churchill, with [[Leo Amery]], [[Robert Boothby]], [[Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood|Robert Cecil]], [[Harold Macmillan]] and Harold Nicolson.{{Sfn|Bouverie|2019|p=xvi}} During parliamentary debate over the [[Munich Agreement]] he attacked Prime Minister [[Neville Chamberlain]] for "wilting" to [[Nazi Germany]] and tossing "justice and respect for treaties... to the winds."{{Sfn|Bouverie|2019|p=289}} On a personal level, Violet Bonham Carter was a frequent guest of the Sinclairs at Dalnawillan Lodge in the [[Flow Country]], as were [[Harcourt Johnstone]] and Lady Gwendoline Churchill, wife of [[Jack Churchill (1880–1947)|Jack Churchill]] and Winston's sister-in-law.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Groot |first1=Gerard J. De |title=Liberal Crusader: The Life of Sir Archibald Sinclair |date=1993 |publisher=C. Hurst |isbn=978-1-85065-182-6 |page=56 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J7XiewCEo5wC&pg=PA56 |language=en}}</ref> Bonham Carter was a Liberal activist, close follower of Churchill, anti-appeaser and [[League of Nations Union]] member.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bonham Carter|first=Jane|author-link = Jane Bonham Carter|editor1-first=Duncan|editor1-last = Brack|display-editors = et al|title=Dictionary of Liberal Biography|year=1998|publisher=Politico's Publishing|location=London|isbn=1902301099|pages=46–48|chapter=Violet Bonham Carter 1887-1969}}</ref>

==Second World War==
When Churchill formed an [[Churchill war ministry|all-party coalition government]] in 1940, Sinclair entered the cabinet as [[Secretary of State for Air]]. During the [[War cabinet crisis, May 1940|May 1940 British war cabinet crisis]] after the [[Battle of France|fall of France]] he sided with Churchill against [[Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Halifax]]'s plan to seek a negotiated settlement with Nazi Germany mediated by [[Fascist Italy (1922–1943)|Fascist Italy]].{{Sfn|Bouverie|2019|p=406}}

Sinclair's first task was to work with the [[Royal Air Force]] in planning the [[Battle of Britain]]. Towards the end of the war, he found himself at odds with Churchill, arguing against [[Arthur Harris|Bomber Harris]]' strategy for the [[Bombing of Dresden]] and other German cities.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Groot|first=Gerard De|title=Liberal Crusader: The Life of Sir Archibald Sinclair|pages=204}}</ref> He was not a strong political personality: [[Max Hastings]] reports that he was often regarded as the "[[Head girl and head boy|Head of School]]'s [[Fagging|fag]]" to Churchill, and as the political mouthpiece rather than the master of [[Air Chief Marshals]] [[Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford|Portal]] and [[Arthur Harris|Harris]].{{Sfn|Hastings|1979|p=133}} However, in 1942 he did convince Churchill and his cabinet not to carry out reprisals on German villages for [[German war crimes|war atrocities]] such as the [[Lidice massacre]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Roberts |first=Andrew |url=https://archive.org/details/masterscommander0000robe_g9v1 |title=Masters and Commanders: The Military Geniuses Who Led the West to Victory in World War II |date=2009 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn=978-0-141-02926-9 |edition=1 |location=London |pages=182–183 |language=en |ref=None |via=Archive Foundation}}</ref>

Sinclair remained a minister until May 1945, when the coalition ended. In the [[1945 United Kingdom general election|1945 general election]], he lost his seat. His margin of defeat was narrow: he came in third place, with the victor [[Eric Gandar Dower]] having 61 votes more.<ref Name ="ODNB"/>
[[File:INF3-63 Sir Archibald Sinclair Artist E.A.B.jpg|thumb|Sketch of Sinclair commissioned by the [[Ministry of Information (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Information]] in the World War II period]]

==Last years==
At the [[1950 United Kingdom general election|1950 general election]], Sinclair again stood for his old seat, coming second. In 1952, the year of his first stroke, he accepted elevation to the [[House of Lords]] as '''Viscount Thurso''' of Ulbster in the [[Caithness|County of Caithness]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=39516 |date=15 April 1952 |page=2077 }}</ref> A more serious stroke in 1959 left him largely bedridden and in a state of precarious health, until he died at his home in [[Twickenham]] in 1970.<ref name = NYT/><ref>
{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12419022|title=John Thurso: The hereditary peer who became an MP|work=[[BBC News]]|date=22 February 2011|access-date=2 August 2011}}</ref>

==Family==
In 1918 Sinclair married Marigold Forbes (1897–1975), daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel James Stewart Forbes and [[Lady Angela Forbes]]. They had four children:

# Catherine (1919–2007), married 1957 [[Kazimierz Zielenkiewicz]].<ref name="Debrett">{{cite book |title=Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage |date=2000 |publisher=Debrett's Peerage |location=London |isbn=033354577X |pages=P1638–P1640}}</ref>
# Elizabeth (1921–1994), married in 1942 Archibald Michael Lyle, son of [[Sir Archibald Lyle, 2nd Baronet]], and was mother of [[Veronica Linklater]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage |date=2000 |publisher=Debrett's Peerage |location=London |isbn=033354577X |page=B656}}</ref>
# [[Robin Sinclair, 2nd Viscount Thurso|Robin]] (1922–1995), married 1952 Margaret Beaumont Robertson, and was father of  [[John Sinclair, 3rd Viscount Thurso]]<ref name="Debrett"/>
# Angus John (1925–2003), married firstly in 1955 Pamela Karen Bower, daughter of [[Dallas Bower]] (dissolved 1967), secondly in 1968 Judith Anne Percy (dissolved 1992), thirdly in 1992 Kate Fry.<ref name="Debrett"/>

==Legacy==
[[File:Nameplate from 34059 "Sir Archibald Sinclair".jpg|thumb|Nameplate from SR Battle of Britain locomotive 34059 "Sir Archibald Sinclair"]]The [[Southern Railway (UK)|Southern Railway]] named a [[SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes|Battle of Britain Class Light Pacific steam locomotive]] "Sir Archibald Sinclair". The ceremonial naming of the locomotive was performed by Sir Archibald himself at [[London Waterloo station|Waterloo station]] on 24 February 1948. The locomotive is preserved on the Bluebell Railway.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rebuilt SR Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34059 ‘Sir Archibald Sinclair’ |url=https://www.bluebell-railway.com/heritage-locomotives/rebuilt-sr-bulleid-light-pacific-sir-archibald-sinclair/ |access-date=6 October 2025 |website=Bluebell Railway}}</ref>


==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{Cite book |last=Bouverie |first=Tim |title=Appeasement: Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War |publisher=[[Tim Duggan Books]] |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-451-49984-4 |edition=1 |location=New York |language=en }}
*[[Violet Bonham Carter, Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury|Violet Bonham Carter]], ed. Mark Pottle, ''Champion Redoubtable: The Diaries of Violet Bonham Carter 1914–1945'' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1998).
*Gerard DeGroot, ''Liberal Crusader: The Life of Sir Archibald Sinclair'' (New York University Press, 1993).
*{{Cite book |last=Hastings |first=Max |title=Bomber Command |publisher=Michael Joseph |year=1979 |isbn=0-7181-1603-8 |edition=1| language=en }}
*ed. Ian Hunter, ''Winston and Archie: The collected correspondence of Winston Churchill and Sir Archibald Sinclair'' (Politico's, 2005).
*[[David Torrance (journalist)|Torrance, David]], ''The Scottish Secretaries'' (Birlinn 2006).

==External links==
{{Commons category|Archibald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso}}
*{{Hansard-contribs | sir-archibald-sinclair | the Viscount Thurso }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040918123602/http://www.liberalhistory.org.uk/record.jsp?type=page&ID=102&liberalbiographies=liberalbiographies Sir Archibald Sinclair (Viscount Thurso) 1890–1970] biography from the Liberal Democrat History Group
* {{PM20|FID=pe/016613}}
*[https://archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk/repositories/9/resources/1872 The Papers of Archibald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso] held at [[Churchill Archives Centre]]

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  | title  = Member of Parliament for [[Caithness and Sutherland (UK Parliament constituency)|Caithness and Sutherland]]
  | years  = [[1922 United Kingdom general election|1922]]–[[1945 United Kingdom general election|1945]]
  | before = [[Sir Leicester Harmsworth, 1st Baronet|Sir Leicester Harmsworth, Bt]]
  | after  = [[Eric Gandar Dower]]
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{{s-ttl | title=[[Secretary of State for Scotland]] | years=1931–1932}}
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{{s-ttl | title=[[Secretary of State for Air]] | years=1940–1945}}
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{{succession box | title  = [[Liberal Chief Whip]] | years  = 1930–1931 | before = [[Robert Hutchison, 1st Baron Hutchison of Montrose|Robert Hutchison]] | after = [[Goronwy Owen (politician)|Goronwy Owen]]}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel|Sir Herbert Samuel]]}}
{{s-ttl
 | title  = [[List of United Kingdom Liberal Party leaders|Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party]]
 | years  = 1931–1935?
}}
{{s-vac|next= [[Percy Harris (politician)|Percy Harris]]}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel|Sir Herbert Samuel]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[List of United Kingdom Liberal Party leaders|Leader of the Liberal Party]] | years=1935–1945}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Clement Davies]]}}
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{{s-ttl
 | title=President of the [[Scottish Liberal Party]]
 | with = [[John Bannerman, Baron Bannerman of Kildonan|John Bannerman]] 1963–1965
 | years=1946–1965
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{{succession box | before=[[William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland|The Duke of Portland]] | title=[[Lord Lieutenant of Caithness]] | years=1919–1964 | after=[[George David Keith Murray|Sir George Murray]]}}
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{{succession box|title=[[Rector of the University of Glasgow]]|years=1938–1945|before=[[Dick Sheppard (priest)|Dick Sheppard]]|after=[[John Boyd Orr, 1st Baron Boyd-Orr|John Boyd Orr]]}}
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{{succession box
  | title  = [[Viscount Thurso|Baronet]]<br />'''(of Ulbster)
  | years  = '''1912–1970
  | before = [[Sir John Sinclair, 3rd Baronet|Sir John Sinclair]]
  | after  = [[Robin Sinclair, 2nd Viscount Thurso|Robin Sinclair]]
}}
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{{s-new|creation}}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Viscount Thurso]] | years  = 1952–1970}}
{{s-aft| after  = [[Robin Sinclair, 2nd Viscount Thurso|Robin Sinclair]]}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thurso, Archibald Sinclair, 1st Viscount}}
[[Category:1890 births]]
[[Category:1970 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Caithness]]
[[Category:Nobility from Highland (council area)]]
[[Category:People educated at Eton College]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:British Life Guards officers]]
[[Category:Clan Sinclair|Archibald]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Knights of the Thistle]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Liberal Party (UK)|Sinclair, Archibald]]
[[Category:Lord-lieutenants of Caithness]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Highland constituencies|Sinclair, Archibald]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ministers in the Churchill wartime government, 1940–1945]]
[[Category:National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) politicians]]
[[Category:Viscounts created by Elizabeth II]]
[[Category:People from Twickenham]]
[[Category:Rectors of the University of Glasgow|Sinclair, Archibald]]
[[Category:Royal Scots Fusiliers officers]]
[[Category:Scottish Liberal Party MPs|Sinclair, Archibald]]
[[Category:Scottish people of American descent]]
[[Category:Secretaries of state for air (UK)]]
[[Category:Secretaries of state for Scotland]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1922–1923|Sinclair, Archibald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1923–1924|Sinclair, Archibald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1924–1929|Sinclair, Archibald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1929–1931|Sinclair, Archibald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1931–1935|Sinclair, Archibald]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1935–1945|Sinclair, Archibald]]
[[Category:UK MPs who were granted peerages|Sinclair, Archibald]]