Editing Donald Dewar (section)

==Personal life==
Dewar was an atheist<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/jun/01/backtothedarkages|title=Back to the dark ages|last=Luckhurst|first=Tim|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=1 June 2007|accessdate=28 February 2025}}</ref><ref name="ahistory">{{cite web|url=https://humanists.uk/2024/07/05/non-religious-prime-ministers-a-history/|title=Non-religious Prime Ministers: a history|date=5 July 2024|accessdate=28 February 2025|work=[[Humanists UK]]}}</ref> who while "sceptical of religion"<ref name="GlasgowTimes">{{cite web|url=https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/13643771.alex-salmond-recalls-great-donald-dewar-in-faith-message|title=Alex Salmond recalls great Donald Dewar in faith message|work=Glasgow Times|accessdate=28 February 2025|date= 3 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="Humanist Heritage"/> treated religious beliefs with "bemused tolerance" and "gracious respect".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/scotland/2000/donald_dewar/976706.stm|title=Rev Douglas Alexander's introduction|work=BBC News|accessdate=28 February 2025|date=17 October 2000}}</ref> His political style in relation to religion was characterised as one of "quiet, non-interfering, practical secularism";<ref name="ahistory"/> his political rival [[Alex Salmond]] credits this with enabling the "Time for Reflection" system at Holyrood, implemented as an alternative to the Westminster parliamentary prayers model.<ref name="GlasgowTimes"/><ref name="Humanist Heritage">{{cite web|url=https://heritage.humanists.uk/article/time-for-reflection/|title=Time for Reflection in the Scottish Parliament|last=Higgins|first=Joe|work=Humanist Heritage|publisher=[[Humanists UK]]|accessdate=28 February 2025}}</ref>

On 20 July 1964, Dewar married Alison Mary McNair, with whom he had two children: a daughter, Marion, and a son, Ian. In 1972, McNair separated from Dewar and entered a relationship with the then [[Derry Irvine]], a prominent Scottish [[barrister]] in London. Dewar and his wife divorced in 1973, and he never remarried.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Guerre|first=Mémoires de|title=Donald Dewar: Obituary - Memoires de guerre|url=http://www.memoiresdeguerre.com/2000/10/donald-dewar-obituary.html|access-date=2021-10-02|website=Mémoires de Guerre|language=fr|archive-date=2 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002022152/https://www.memoiresdeguerre.com/2000/10/donald-dewar-obituary.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Dewar and Lord Irvine of Lairg never reconciled, even though they later served in the same [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] from May 1997 until 1999.

In September 2009, [[Dennis Canavan]] said Dewar reacted callously when Canavan's son was diagnosed with [[skin cancer]] in 1989. The disease eventually killed him. Canavan said Dewar remarked, "Oh no! That's all we need. He was mad enough before but I shudder to think what he'll be like now."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allan |first=Charlie |date=12 October 2000 |title=A man apart, yet a man of the people |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23820401.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307161500/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23820401.html |archive-date=7 March 2016 |website=The Herald.}}</ref>

Dewar amassed a personal fortune in excess of £2,000,000 including public utility shares, antiques and artwork with a value of over £400,000.<ref>{{cite news|last=Womersley|first=Tara|date=2 July 2001|title=£2m legacy of Dewar, the canniest of Scots|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1332575/2m-legacy-of-Dewar-the-canniest-of-Scots.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323001617/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1332575/2m-legacy-of-Dewar-the-canniest-of-Scots.html|archive-date=23 March 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref><