Biography.guide
Home › People › Politician › John Letford
Portrait of John Letford

John Letford

b. 1935

British politician (born 1935)

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About John Letford

Born 1935. John Letford is a British politician.

John Ross Letford MBE (born 5 March 1935) is a Scottish politician who served as the Lord Provost of Dundee, as well as a councillor in his local ward of Lochee, until May 2012. His eleven years as Lord Provost made him the longest serving civic head in the United Kingdom since the nineteenth century. He currently resides in the Charleston area of the city.

Born in Aberdeen, he moved to Dundee in 1943 and later served an apprenticeship in the Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company shipyard as a marine coppersmith. He also served in the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1958.

In 1989 he began working as a training manager with Community Industry Rathbone, where he remained for 15 years before becoming a councillor in the Tayside Regional Council and Labour Party Chairman for Camperdown.

He has served on several committees with matters concerning sports, theatre, education, local services and disabled associations and has been involved with Dundee City Council since 1994 where before being elected as Lord Provost in June 2001, in succession to Helen Wright, who was voted out of office because of a dispute over her expenses. He was elected by a vote of 15–11 over Scottish National Party candidate David Bowes, winning backing from three Conservative councillors.

Letford was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to local government. He launched his autobiography in 2016.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Positions held
Lord Provost of Dundee
Awards
Member of the Order of the British Empire
Also known as
John Ross Letford

People in John Letford's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped John Letford's

Frequently asked questions

Who is John Letford?

British politician (born 1935)

When was John Letford born?

John Letford was born on 29 August 1935 in Aberdeen.

What is John Letford's occupation?

John Letford is a politician.

What nationality is John Letford?

John Letford is British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: John Letford

· Wikidata: Q6244672

· DBpedia: John Letford

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Letford. https://biography.guide/john-letford/

MLA: "John Letford." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-letford/.

Chicago: "John Letford." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-letford/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:30 UTC