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Alex Fergusson was first elected to the Scottish Parliament on the South of Scotland list in 1999. In 2003, he was elected as the Constituency Member for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, a seat which he retained at the May 2007 elections. From 2007 to 2011 he was the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. In 2011 he returned to Parliament as the Constituency Member for the redrawn seat of Galloway and West Dumfries.
He has, however, not always been a politician. Before 1999, his background was in farming, and for 28 years farmed sheep and cattle on his family farm in South Ayrshire. He has also been a Farm Management Consultant, a Community Councillor, a President of the Blackface Sheepbreeders’ Association, a Member of the Scottish Landowners’ Federation and Game Conservancy, a labourer on farms and also in a wool store whilst in New Zealand, and even an onion picker!
The Rt Hon Alex Fergusson was born near the village of Leswalt in Wigtownshire, and now lives near St John’s Town of Dalry in the Glenkens area of Kirkcudbrightshire. He is married to Merryn with 3 grown up sons and 5 grandchildren, and his interests are rugby, curling, folk music, public speaking, and some gentle Scottish Country Dancing!
