George Frederick Barclay Houston was born on 26 October 1920. After receiving his Honours degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1949, he attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he gained a BLitt. His time at the University of Edinburgh was interrupted by World War II where Houston was imprisoned in Wormwood Scrubs for being a conscientious objector.
Houston joined the staff of the University of Glasgow's Political Economy department in 1951, and remained at the University until his retirement in 1984, however he remained in the department working part-time and eventually became Senior Research Fellow. He was appointed titular Professor of Political Economics in 1970.
Houston also became an active member of the Scottish Communist Party, and worked closely with The Scottish Farmers Union, The Milk Marketing Board, and the Highlands and Islands Development Board. His research interests mainly concerned agricultural policy, particularly marketing and Scottish agrarian history.
Professor Houston passed away on 21 October 1996.
From the guide to the Papers of Professor George Frederick Barclay Houston, 1920-1996, Professor of Political Economics, University of Glasgow, Scotland, 1636-1996, (Glasgow University Archive Services)
