Dame Rosemary Janet Mair Butler (''née'' McGrath; born 21 January 1943) is a British politician who served as the

Llywydd , unofficial_names = Presiding Officer of the SeneddLlywydd / Presiding Officer of the Welsh Parliament , insignia = , insigniasize = 150px , insigniacaption = , image = File:Elin Jones AM (27889497280).jpg , imagesize = 220px , incum ...

of the Senedd from 2011 to 2016. A member of

Welsh Labour Welsh Labour ( cy, Llafur Cymru) is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears won a plurality of the Welsh vote at every UK general election since 1922 ...

, Butler was the

Member of the Senedd A Member of the Senedd (MS; plural: ''MSs''; cy, Aelodau o'r Senedd; , plural:) (AS)., group=la is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd ...

(AM) for Newport West from 1999 to 2016. Serving briefly as Secretary for Education in the first two years of the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...

, she was elected Dirprwy Lywydd of the Senedd in May 2007. In May 2011, Butler was elected as the

Llywydd of the Senedd The (), or Presiding Officer in English, is the Speaker (politics), speaker of the Senedd in Wales, elected by Members of the Senedd to chairman, chair their meetings (plenary sessions); to maintain order; and to protect the rights of Members. T ...

. She did not stand for election to the Senedd in the 2016 elections.

Family

Rosemary Janet Mair McGrath was born in

Much Wenlock Much Wenlock is a market town and parish in Shropshire, England, situated on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge, and the new town of Telford. The civil parish includes the villag ...

, Shropshire. Her family moved to the

Rhymney Valley The Rhymney Valley () is one of the South Wales valleys, with the Rhymney River forming the border between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. Between 1974 and 1996 a Rhymney Valley local government district also existed (one ...

soon after. As a teenager she moved to Newport with her parents (Godfrey and Gwen McGrath) and brother John; there she attended St Julian's High School. In the early 1960s she met her husband Derek Butler, whom she married in 1966. He was a lecturer in art and design at Newport Art college, which was at the time based in Clarence Place. They have two daughters, Kate (born 1968-2013) and Alice (born 1970)

Local politics

In 1971 Butler joined the Labour Party. She was elected to Newport Borough Council from

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

ward in 1973, and played an important part in Labour administrations on the council as Deputy Leader and

Mayor of Newport The mayor of Newport (full style The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City of Newport) is the civic figurehead and first citizen of the city of Newport, Wales. Background The first mayor is recorded as Ralph Dery, who took up office in 1314. Th ...

in 1989–90. She was Chair of the Leisure Services Committee for 12 years.

National Assembly

At the first Senedd election in 1999, Butler was selected as Labour candidate for Newport West which she won. She was appointed Secretary for Education: Minister for Children and Young People (up to 16) by

Alun Michael Alun Edward Michael (born 22 August 1943) is a Welsh Labour politician serving as South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner since 2012. He served as Secretary of State for Wales from 1998 to 1999 and then as the first First Secretary of Wales ...

but held office only for a year, leaving in October 2000 when the new First Minister,

Rhodri Morgan Hywel Rhodri Morgan (29 September 1939 – 17 May 2017) was a Welsh Labour politician who was the First Minister of Wales and the Leader of Welsh Labour from 2000 to 2009. He was also the Assembly Member for Cardiff West from 1999 to 2011 and t ...

, formed a coalition government. She was Chair of the Senedd's Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee and served on the Panel of Chairs. She led the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

activities in the Senedd and also represents the Senedd on the European

Committee of the Regions The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the European Union's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives that provides sub-national authorities (i.e. regions, counties, provinces, municipalities and cities) with a direct voice w ...

(CoR) where she is a member of the Bureau (executive) of the Committee.

Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officer

On 9 May 2007, Butler was picked as the Labour group's nominee for Dirprwy Llywydd of the Senedd, a position vacant by the defeat of the previous holder and which had to be held by a member from a different party to the Llywydd. Her election by the whole of the Senedd was not opposed. Butler was appointed the second

on 11 May 2011, following

Dafydd Elis-Thomas Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas (born 18 October 1946) is a Welsh politician who served as the Leader of Plaid Cymru from 1984 to 1991 and represented the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in the Senedd from 1999 to 2021. Born in Carmar ...

. Butler was appointed

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(DBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for political and public services, particularly to women.2014 Honours List recipients
accessed 17 March 2014.

Women in Public Life Campaign #POWiPL

In 2012 Rosemary Butler AM launched a campaign to address the need for more women to apply for and take up public roles and appointments. Her Women in Public Life campaign (POWiPL) aims to ensure that women are fairly represented at all levels of public life in Wales. During the campaign, Rosemary has hosted many high-profile influential speakers at the Senedd, most notably former Prime Minister of Australia,

Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, holding office as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She is the first and only ...

to talk about gender equality and encourage women to put themselves forward for public appointments. She also launched a website; Women in Public Life Portal to enable women in Wales to search for public appointments. In October 2014, Rosemary launched a mentoring and development scheme for women who wanted to gain experience in public life and undergo training to help prepare them for decision making roles over a period of 18 months. The scheme is delivered by Chwarae Teg and Cardiff Business School on behalf of the Senedd.

Personal interests

* Honorary Fellow of the University of Wales, Newport * Co-founder and Chair of the Newport International Competition for Young Pianists * An Honorary Citizen of Newport's twin town

Kutaisi Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...

(

Republic of Georgia A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

), and founding member of the Newport-Kutaisi Twinning Association * President of the Friends of

Newport Transporter Bridge The Newport Transporter Bridge ( cy, Pont Gludo Casnewydd) is a transporter bridge that crosses the River Usk in Newport, South East Wales. The bridge is the lowest crossing on the River Usk. It is a Grade I listed structure. It is one of f ...

* President of the Wales Home Safety Council * President of Newport Harriers Athletic Club * Honorary Life Member of Newport Sports Council * Life Member of

Newport Cricket Club Newport Cricket Club (NCC) is a cricket club based in the city of Newport, South Wales. The club runs 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th XIs in the SWALEC Premier Cricket League and Glamorgan and Monmouthshire League. The club fields eight youth teams in ...

* Founder member of the Friends of

Tredegar House Tredegar House (Welsh: ''Tŷ Tredegar'') is a 17th-century Charles II-era mansion on the southwestern edge of Newport, Wales. For over five hundred years it was home to the Morgan family, later Lords Tredegar; one of the most powerful and influe ...

* Ambassador for Girl Guiding * Founder member of Newport Women's Aid * Member of Women's International League of Peace and Freedom * Patron of Caerleon Arts Festival * Chairwoman, Newport Women's Forum * Chairwoman, Live Music Now Wales

Footnotes

References

BBC profile

Personal website

Carwyn Jones reappointed as Wales' first minister

External links

Offices held

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Rosemary 1943 births People from Much Wenlock Councillors in Wales Wales AMs 1999–2003 Wales AMs 2003–2007 Wales AMs 2007–2011 Wales AMs 2011–2016 Politics of Newport, Wales Female members of the Senedd Welsh people of Irish descent Welsh Labour members of the Senedd Living people People from Bargoed Presiding Officers of the Senedd 20th-century British women politicians Women councillors in Wales