William Macpherson (judge)
Sir William Alan Macpherson of Cluny, 6th of Blairgowrie (1 April 1926 – 14 February 2021) was a judge of the High Court of England and Wales, and the 27th Hereditary Chief of Clan Macpherson. He was a common law barrister who served as the recorder of the Crown Court, a judge at the Queen's Bench, and the presiding judge of the Northern Circuit, before his retirement in 1996. In the late 1990s, Macpherson led the public inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. His report at the end of the enquiry in 1999 was considered groundbreaking and described as one of the most significant moments in the history of British criminal justice. He had also served as the commanding officer and later as an honorary colonel of the 21st Special Air Service Regiment of the British Territorial Army, and had been the president of the Highland Society of London and the London Scottish Rugby Football Club. Early life Macpherson was born in Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, on 1 April 1926. He was the only son of Brigadier Alan David Macpherson of Cluny Macpherson, DSO, MC, 5th of Blairgowrie, 26th Hereditary Chief of Macpherson, and Catharine Richardson Hill. Macpherson was