Sir Alex Fergusson | |||||||||||||||||
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&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Alex_Fergusson_MSP.jpg) Official portrait, 2011 | |||||||||||||||||
| Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament | |||||||||||||||||
| In office 14 May 2007 – 11 May 2011 | |||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | |||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | George Reid | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Tricia Marwick | ||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | Alexander Charles Onslow Fergusson 8 April 1949 Leswalt, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 31 July 2018 (aged 69) St John's Town of Dalry, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Scottish Conservatives | ||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Independent (2007-2011) | ||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Merryn Fergusson | ||||||||||||||||
| Children | Iain Dougal Christopher | ||||||||||||||||
| Parent(s) | Simon Fergusson Auriole Hughes-Onslow | ||||||||||||||||
| Education | Eton College Scotland's Rural College | ||||||||||||||||
| Profession | Farmer | ||||||||||||||||
Sir Alexander Charles Onslow Fergusson DL (8 April 1949 – 31 July 2018) was a Scottish politician and farmer who served as Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Scottish Conservative Party, he was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) from 1999 to 2016.
Born in rural Wigtownshire, Fergusson was educated at Eton College before attending the Scottish Agricultural College at Auchincruive. After completing an ONDA, he took over his family farm estate in 1971. As a farmer, Fergusson gained a considerable reputation, becoming President of the Blackface Sheepbreeders’ Association, Deputy Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran and a member of the Scottish Landowners Federation and the Game Conservancy Trust.
In 1999, Fergusson was elected to the Scottish Parliament, representing the South of Scotland region. As an MSP, he was a lead spokesman for Agriculture and Forestry for the Conservative party and Convener of the Rural Development Committee. In the 2003 election, he was elected as an MSP for the Galloway and Upper Nithsdale. After being re-elected in 2007, he was elected as the 3rd Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. Fergusson stepped down as presiding officer after the 2011 election and returned to backbench politics. He stood down as an MSP in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.