Scotsman Obituaries: Chris Baur, journalist who progressed from copy boy to Scotsman Editor

Other prestigious posts included managing director of the Insider Group and editor of its flagship magazine Scottish Business Insider, chairman of Editions Publishing company whose magazine he also edited, and Scottish political correspondent for the Financial Times.

He also presented a weekly political programme for BBC Radio Scotland, Order, Order!, and made two successful documentaries for BBC Television, Does Scotland Mean It? and Power of Scotland, dealing with the devolution issue and Scotland’s strength in finance and business on the world stage. The former included contributions from Margo Macdonald, John Smith and Nicholas Fairbairn while the latter won the Royal Television Society’s award for Best Current Affairs Documentary in 1978.

Chris also received several awards for journalism. In 1982 he won the Journalist of the Year accolade for his articles on the controversial Royal Bank of Scotland takeover, while two years previously he claimed the Specialist Journalist of the Year award for articles on the European elections and in 1983 the Wincott Award for Financial Journalism.

One description of him stated: “Chris combines encyclopaedic knowledge of Scottish industrial and business affairs with an admirably clear and concise writing style.” Lifelong friend and former colleague Arthur Anderson commented: “He was much admired by his peer group, took his job very seriously and his rise up the tree was achieved on merit, a great wordsmith and great guy.”

He understood how business and politics impacted on ordinary lives and believed in holding power to account, making truthful and balanced journalism a vocation.

Christopher Frank Baur was born in Oxted, Surrey to Marty Sigg and Frank Baur, both of Swiss descent. As Frank was away on active service Marty decided to relocate when Chris was very young to stay with friends in Glenesk, Angus, where he initially attended the local primary school. Later he boarded at Dalhousie Prep School, Cupar and then at Strathallan School, Perthshire. After the war Frank worked as a horticulturalist with ICI. The marriage ended in divorce. Marty remarried a journalist, Will Stewart, an editor with Northcliffe Newspapers, with whom she had two sons, Will Jr and Angus, half brothers of Chris.

On leaving school, rather than attend university Chris embarked on a career in journalism, influenced to an extent by his stepfather’s role and his own keen interest in reading and language. Aged 18 in 1960 he began at The Scotsman on the bottom rung as copyboy/teaboy before undertaking a three-year journalism indenture on the newsdesk under the eye of experienced colleague Jim Grassie, winning the Fowler Memorial Prize by finishing top in his final exam.

He began fashioning a reputation in industrial and financial reporting which led to appointment as the Scotsman’s Scottish political correspondent. Spells at the Financial Times and BBC as Scotland’s Political Correspondent followed before Chris became The Scotsman’s Assistant Editor in 1978, specialising in political writing, and Deputy Editor in 1983. And in 1985 he became the newspaper’s 14th Editor in its 168-year history, a post in which he continued till January 1988. Keen to spend more time writing, he resigned from The Scotsman and resumed contributing to the Financial Times.

In the early 1990s he joined the Insider group, which published a wide portfolio of business-oriented magazines, holding a number of posts including Managing Director. Later he joined Editions Publishing, a business communications agency and one of Scotland’s leading contract publishing firms producing magazines for Bank of Scotland, Nat West Bank and Scottish Enterprise among others. Appointed Chairman, he was also designated “Chief Storyteller” in their Financial magazine, reflecting his editorial role as “the company’s principal wordsmith”. Chris retired from professional work at the age of 72.

The Scotsman was not only the launching pad for his career but also made a significant contribution to his personal life as it was there he met colleague and future wife Jaqueline – Jackie – Gilchrist, then employed as a copytaker alongside Chris. After they had been going out for a while a romantic dinner at the well-known Edinburgh High Street Wee Windaes restaurant led to their engagement.

They wed in January 1965 at St Christopher’s Church, Craigentinny, and enjoyed a happy, fulfilling marriage, living latterly at Pathhead and celebrating their Diamond Anniversary last year. Chris and Jackie had four sons.

Balancing a busy professional life with family life created its challenges for Chris but he always overcame them, with the scales permanently tilted in favour of family. He cherished his roles as husband, father and grandfather, nurturing relationships through always being available and imbuing them with patience, wit, warmth and integrity.

A man of many interests and talents, Chris enjoyed working in his garden, cooking, doing DIY, reading and travelling in Europe and to New Zealand to visit family. He maintained contact with Swiss relatives and was passionate about all things Scottish and Swiss.

Once, when son Peter asked him what words he would like to have on his gravestone, after initial faux offence at the question he responded, “The Humble Wordsmith”.

Chris is survived by his wife, sons Mark, Paul, Peter and David, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandson.

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