Sir Alexander Charles Onslow Fergusson (8 April 1949 – 31 July 2018) was a Scottish politician and farmer who served as Presiding Officer of the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...

from 2007 to 2011. A member of the

Scottish Conservative Party The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party ( gd, Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Tory an Unionist Pairty), often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories, is a centre-right political par ...

, he was

Member of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The ad ...

(MSP) from

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

. Born in rural

Wigtownshire Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975 the area has f ...

, Fergusson was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

before attending the

Scottish Agricultural College Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) is a public land based research institution focused on agriculture and life sciences. Its history stretches back to 1899 with the establishment of the West of Scotland Agricultural College and its current organis ...

Auchincruive Auchincruive is a former country house and estate in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located east of Ayr, on the north bank of the River Ayr. Auchincruive House was built in the 18th century on the site of an earlier mansion. In 1927, the estate ...

. 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 Ayrshire and Arran is a lieutenancy area of Scotland. It consists of the council areas of East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. The area of Ayrshire and Arran is also a brand for tourist attractions. The area has joint electoral, v ...

and a member of the Scottish Landowners Federation and the

Game Conservancy Trust The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (formerly the Game Conservancy Trust) is a British charitable organisation promoting game and wildlife management as a part of nature conservation, whilst working with the shooting and hunting community. For o ...

. In

, Fergusson was elected to the

, 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 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, he was elected as the

3rd Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament sco, Preses o the Scots Pairlament , body = , member_of = Scottish Parliamentary Corporate BodyScottish Parliament , insignia = Scottish_Parliament_logo_purple_vertical.png , insigniasize = 150px , insigniacaption = Logo used to represent ...

. Fergusson stood as presiding officer after the 2011 election and returned to backbench politics. He stood down as an MSP in the

2016 Scottish Parliament election The 2016 Scottish parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2016 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the fifth election held since the devolved parliament was established in 1999. It was the first parliamentary electi ...

Early life

Early years and education

Alexander Charles Onslow Fergusson was born on 8 April 1949 in

Leswalt Leswalt ( gd, Lios Uillt) is a village and civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It lies between Portpatrick and Stranraer in the Rhins of Galloway, part of the traditional county of Wigtownshire. The parish covers around . ...

to the son of Simon Fergusson and Auriole Hughes-Onslow. His father was a

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in the

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

before becoming a

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

minister at

. Fergusson was raised in

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 June 2 ...

. Fergusson was educated at

from 1962 to 1966. He spent two years in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

after leaving school, mainly involved in agricultural work. He returned to Scotland and attended the

to complete an ONDA.

Farming career

In 1971, Fergusson took over his family farm in

Barr Barr may refer to: Places * Barr (placename element), element of place names meaning 'wooded hill', 'natural barrier' * Barr, Ayrshire, a village in Scotland * Barr Building (Washington, DC), listed on the US National Register of Historic Places ...

. He ran this hill farm, rearing cattle and sheep, gaining a considerable reputation in farming circles. Fergusson later became the President of the Blackface Sheepbreeders’ Association. He was a Deputy Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran and a member of the Scottish Landowners Federation and the

Political career

Election to Holyrood

Fergusson began holding office as a

Community Council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. In ...

lor. He was elected as a member for the

South of Scotland South of Scotland may refer to: * The southern portion of Scotland ** Geography of Scotland * South of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region) * South of Scotland (European Parliament constituency) * South of Scotland District (rugby union) ...

region of the Scottish Parliament 1999, and has been

for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale since 2003. He says he entered politics mainly to champion rural causes in his own region: "I was particularly exercised by the fact that whenever anybody talked about rural Scotland, they seemed to talk about the Highlands and Islands. I come from the south of Scotland, and I was keen to provide a rural voice from the south of Scotland." During this time, Fergusson was lead spokesman for Agriculture and Forestry for the Conservative party, and Convener of the Rural Development Committee, including during the passage of the

Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act is an Act of the Scottish Parliament passed in February 2002, making Scotland the first part of the United Kingdom to ban traditional fox hunting and hare coursing. Passage of the Act The bill was int ...

. As spokesman, he described laws banning entirely the docking of dogs' tails as "complete and utter folly", arguing that there was a significant difference between the cosmetic docking of entire tails and the shortening of the tails of working dogs. He gained a reputation as a passionate advocate on rural affairs, respected across parties for his political astuteness. He was also one of the biggest rebels from the Conservative whip in the second session of Parliament. Alex Fergusson 2007

Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament

The Queen at the Scottish Parliament (15242675419)

After retaining his marginal seat at the 2007 election, with an increased majority of 3,333, on 14 May 2007 he was elected by his fellow MSPs to succeed

George Reid Sir George Houston Reid, (25 February 1845 – 12 September 1918) was an Australian politician who led the Reid Government as the fourth Prime Minister of Australia from 1904 to 1905, having previously been Premier of New South Wales f ...

as Presiding Officer by a large majority, beating the other candidate

Margo MacDonald Margo Symington MacDonald (''née'' Aitken; 19 April 1943 – 4 April 2014) was a Scottish politician, teacher and broadcaster. She was the Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Govan from 1973 to 1974 and was ...

by 108 votes to 20. Because the position of Presiding Officer is an impartial one, the officeholder is required to remove himself from all party politics. Consequently, Fergusson resigned from the Conservative party. He indicated his intention to resign as Presiding Officer at the conclusion of his term, and stand for the Conservative party in 2011. On his return to the Parliament after the 2011 Election, Fergusson stepped down as Presiding Officer and returned to the Conservative benches. As Presiding Officer, he chaired the

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) is a body of the Scottish Parliament responsible for the administration of the parliament. It also has a role in provision of services to commissioners and other statutory appointments made by the ...

, which has similar functions to that of the

House of Commons Commission The House of Commons Commission is the overall supervisory body of the House of Commons Administration in the United Kingdom. The Commission is a corporate body established by the House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978 (c.36). The Commission c ...

, and the Parliamentary Bureau, which sets the daily business in the chamber and timetable for progress of bills, subject to approval by the Parliament. Fergusson announced in 2015 that he would not be seeking re-election in 2016 and would retire from politics after serving as MSP for 17 years. He was succeeded by Finlay Carson at the 2016 election. Fergusson was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to politics, the Scottish parliamentary process and public life in Scotland.

Personal life

Fergusson was the Honorary President of

English-Speaking Union Scotland The English-Speaking Union Scotland (ESU Scotland) is an educational Scotland, Scottish Charitable organization, charity whose purpose, shared with the English-Speaking Union internationally, is to promote international understanding and human ac ...

. He was a patron of the Galloway National Park Association, a campaign for the area to become Scotland's third national park. He listed rugby, curling,

Scottish country dancing Scottish country dance (SCD) is the distinctively Scottish form of country dance, itself a form of social dance involving groups of couples of dancers tracing progressive patterns. A dance consists of a sequence of figures. These dances are ...

, folk music and public speaking amongst his hobbies. Fergusson was a male-line grandson of

Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet, (17 January 1865 – 20 February 1951), was a British Army officer and the third Governor-General of New Zealand. Early life and military career Fergusson was the son of Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet, th ...

and so was in the remainder to that

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

. He was also descended from many Scottish noble families including the

Earls of Glasgow Earl of Glasgow is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for David Boyle, 1st Earl of Glasgow, David Boyle, Lord Boyle. The first earl was subsequently one of the commissioners who negotiated the Act of Union 1707, Treaty o ...

Earls of Dalhousie Earl of Dalhousie, in the County of Midlothian, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, held by the Chief of Clan Ramsay. History The family descends from Sir George Ramsay, who represented Kincardineshire in the Scottish Parliament in 1617. ...

, and

Barons Crofton Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

Fergusson was

in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to politics, the Scottish parliamentary process and public life in Scotland.

Death

Fergusson died on 31 July 2018. He was 69 years old. His cause of death was ruled a "short illness". The First Minister of Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician serving as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since 2014. She is the first woman to hold either position. She has been a member of ...

paid tribute on Twitter, calling Fergusson a "distinguished presiding officer" and a "dedicated parliamentarian". The then leader of the Scottish Conservative Party

Ruth Davidson Ruth Elizabeth Davidson, Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links (born 10 November 1978), is a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2011 to 2019 and Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish ...

also paid tribute on Twitter, calling Fergusson a "huge figure in the Scottish Conservative Party" and said that he "will be missed by many".

References

External links

*
Alex Fergusson MSP
Official profile at the site of the Conservative Party
Alex Fergusson MSP
Official profile at personal website
Alex Fergusson, countryside man
BBC profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Fergusson 1949 births 2018 deaths People from Dumfries and Galloway Conservative MSPs Deputy Lieutenants of Ayrshire and Arran People educated at Eton College Presiding Officers of the Scottish Parliament Alumni of Scotland's Rural College Scottish farmers Members of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2003 Members of the Scottish Parliament 2003–2007 Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011 Members of the Scottish Parliament 2011–2016 Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Scottish Presbyterians Knights Bachelor Politicians awarded knighthoods