Cole-Hamilton said Wallace was “one of the finest liberals our party has ever produced”.
He said: “For me personally, he was a mainstay of support throughout my adult life. Even as he went into hospital for the final time, he was still sending me words of advice and I will always try to live up to the standards he set.
“Throughout his career, Jim was widely respected across party lines for his integrity, calm judgement and deep belief in liberal values: fairness, the rule of law and respect for communities, no matter how remote.
“Scotland is a better country because of Jim Wallace, and the Liberal Democrats are a better party because of his example.”
Born in Annan, in Dumfries and Galloway, Wallace went to Annan Academy before attending Cambridge and Edinburgh universities.
He was called to the bar in 1979, practising mainly in civil law cases, and became a QC in 1997.
Wallace was brought up in the Church of Scotland – in which his accountant father was an elder – and religion and politics were inter-related interests and influences throughout his life.
In 2021, he took on the role of the moderator of the Church of Scotland.
