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Brian Adam

Scottish politician (1948-2013)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 4, 2026
Entity authorityQ570298
Source-derived summary

Brian James Adam (10 June 1948 – 25 April 2013) was a Scottish politician and biochemist who served as Minister for Parliamentary Business and Chief Whip from 2011 to 2012. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) from 1999 to 2013.

He was an MSP for the North East Scotland region from 1999 to 2003, then for the Aberdeen North constituency from 2003 to 2011, and for the Aberdeen Donside constituency from 2011 until his death in 2013. From 2007 to 2011, he was Chief Whip for the minority SNP Government and Co-Convener of the Oil and Gas Cross Party Group.

Early life

Education and career

Brian James Adam was born on 10 June 1948 in Newmill, Moray. He attended Keith Grammar School and obtained a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry and a MSc in Clinical Pharmacology from the University of Aberdeen.

He began his career with Glaxo in Montrose, Angus from 1970 to 1973, before working as a biochemist at City Hospital, Aberdeen from 1973 to 1988. From 1988, Adam worked as the principal biochemist in the National Health Service at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Early political years

Adam joined the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 1974 and he was a trade union activist prior to his election to Holyrood in 1999. He served three terms as a councillor for Middlefield and Heathryfold on Aberdeen District Council from 1988 to 1996 and on Aberdeen City Council from 1995 until 1999.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Brian Adam” as scottish politician (1948-2013). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Brian, Adam and Scottish.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1948, 2013, 2011, 2012—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1948-06-10. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Brian, Adam and Scottish providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Brian Adam”, the useful work is to connect “scottish politician (1948-2013)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q570298. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1948, 2013, 2011 and 2012.

Critical limits

Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Brian Adam”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Brian Adam primary sources, Brian Adam archive and Brian research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Brian Adam”?
  2. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
  3. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Brian Adam” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.