Malcolm MacDonald

The Right Honourable Malcolm MacDonald OM
MacDonald in 1931
Governor-General of Kenya
In office 12 December 1963 – 12 December 1964
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Jomo Kenyatta
Preceded by	Himself (as Colonial Governor)
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Governor of Kenya
In office 4 January 1963 – 12 December 1963
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Sir Eric Griffith-Jones (acting)
Succeeded by	Himself (as Governor-General)
High Commissioner to India
In office 1955–1960
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Anthony Eden Harold Macmillan
Preceded by	Sir Archibald Nye
Succeeded by	Sir Paul Gore-Booth
Commissioner-General for Southeast Asia
In office 1946–1955
Monarchs	George VI Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Clement Attlee Winston Churchill
Preceded by	position established
Succeeded by	Sir Robert Heatlie Scott
High Commissioner to Canada
In office 1941–1946
Monarch	George VI
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill Clement Attlee
Preceded by	Gerald Campbell
Succeeded by	Alexander Clutterbuck
Minister of Health
In office 13 May 1940 – 8 February 1941
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill
Preceded by	Walter Elliot
Succeeded by	Ernest Brown
Secretary of State for the Colonies
In office 16 May 1938 – 12 May 1940
Monarch	George VI
Prime Minister	Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by	The Lord Harlech
Succeeded by	The Lord Lloyd
In office 7 June 1935 – 22 November 1935
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by	Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister
Succeeded by	James Henry Thomas
Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
In office 31 October 1938 – 29 January 1939
Monarch	George VI
Prime Minister	Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by	Lord Stanley
Succeeded by	Sir Thomas Inskip
In office 22 November 1935 – 16 May 1938
Monarchs	Edward VIII George VI
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by	James Henry Thomas
Succeeded by	Lord Stanley
Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
In office 24 August 1931 – 7 June 1935
Prime Minister	Ramsay MacDonald
Preceded by	William Lunn
Succeeded by	Edward Stanley
Member of Parliament for Ross and Cromarty
In office 10 February 1936 – 15 June 1945
Preceded by	Ian Macpherson
Succeeded by	John MacLeod
Member of Parliament for Bassetlaw
In office 30 May 1929 – 25 October 1935
Preceded by	Ellis Hume-Williams
Succeeded by	Frederick Bellenger
Personal details
Born	Malcolm John MacDonald (1901-08-17)17 August 1901 Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland
Died	11 January 1981(1981-01-11) (aged 79) Maidstone, Kent, England
Resting place	Spynie Cemetery, Morayshire, Scotland
Political party	Labour National Labour
Spouse	Audrey Marjorie Fellowes Rowley ​ ​ (m. 1946)​
Children	3 (2 adopted)
Parents	Ramsay MacDonald Margaret Gladstone
Relatives	Ishbel MacDonald (sister) Sheila Lochhead (sister)
Alma mater	Queen's College, Oxford

Malcolm John MacDonald OM PC (17 August 1901 – 11 January 1981) was a British politician and diplomat. He was initially a Labour Member of Parliament (MP), but in 1931 followed his father Ramsay MacDonald in breaking with the party and joining the National Government. He was consequently expelled from the Labour Party. He was a government minister during the Second World War and was later Governor of Kenya.

MacDonald's experience allowed him to take a unique approach to the decolonisation of British colonies in Asia and Africa. He had "done more for Southeast Asia than perhaps any other living person," according to Harold Macmillan, who also said that "not only Asia, but the whole Western World were indeed grateful to him." Making imperial control obsolete was his life's work, according former Commonwealth Secretary-General Shridath Ramphal. In 1957, he helped Malaya and Singapore get independence as Governor-General and Commissioner-General of Southeast Asia, respectively.^[1] In 1963, he helped Kenya achieve independence.^[2]

MacDonald served as High Commissioner to Brunei from 1946 to 1948 and as the Commissioner-General in Southeast Asia until 1955, played a significant role in Brunei’s modern history. Despite leaving office, he continued to visit Brunei on official business until 1979, meeting with Sultans Ahmad Tajuddin, Omar Ali Saifuddien III, and Hassanal Bolkiah,^[3] and developed a deep affection for Malaya and British Borneo.^[a][1] Unlike traditional colonial ambassadors, he approached local authorities with compassion and empathy, often demonstrating more respect than his London superiors preferred. His amiable relationship with Omar Ali reflected his strategy of "gentle persuasion," which, while not always successful in advancing Brunei toward federation, ensured a lasting connection leveraged by the British government, despite sometimes hindering democratic reforms advocated by his colleagues.^[4]

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