Alasdair Morgan

Alasdair Neil Morgan[1] (born 21 April 1945) is a former Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He was Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party from 1990 to 1991 and served in the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale from 1997 to 2001. He was elected in 1999 as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale. From 2003 to 2011, he served as a member for the South of Scotland region.

Alasdair Morgan
Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
In office
10 May 2007 – 22 March 2011
Serving with Trish Godman
Presiding OfficerAlex Fergusson
Preceded byMurray Tosh
Succeeded byJohn Scott
Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party
In office
22 September 1990 – 22 September 1991
LeaderAlex Salmond
Preceded byAlex Salmond
Succeeded byJim Sillars
Parliamentary offices
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for South of Scotland
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
In office
1 May 2003 – 22 March 2011
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
In office
6 May 1999 – 1 May 2003
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byAlex Fergusson
Member of Parliament
for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
In office
1 May 1997 – 14 May 2001
Preceded byIan Lang
Succeeded byPeter Duncan
Personal details
Born (1945-04-21) 21 April 1945
Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland
Political partyScottish National Party
SpouseAnne Gilfillan
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Glasgow
Open University
ProfessionTeacher, Computer programmer

Morgan was a Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 2007 to 2011. He was an Electoral Commissioner from 2014 to 2022.

Early life and career

Morgan was born in Aberfeldy and was educated at Breadalbane Academy and the University of Glasgow, graduating in 1968 with a MA Honours degree in Mathematics and Political economy. From 1971 to 1974 he worked as a Teacher of Mathematics at Linlithgow Academy and subsequently Douglas Ewart High School. He graduated from the Open University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1990.[1]

He was employed as a Software Programmer at Shell from 1974 to 1980, then as a Systems Analyst with General Electric from 1980 to 1984. He then worked as a Computer Systems Team Leader at Fife Regional Council (1984–1986), Lothian Regional Council (1986–1996) and West Lothian Council (1996–1997).

Political career

Morgan joined the Scottish National Party in 1974.[2] He served as SNP National Treasurer from 1983 to 1990, when he was elected Senior Vice Convener (depute leader) at the same election that saw Alex Salmond first elected as Leader of the Scottish National Party. Morgan was defeated by Jim Sillars in the depute leadership election the following year, but served as National Secretary from 1992 to 1997. During that same year, he was elected as one of the SNP's vice presidents; an office he held until these positions were abolished as part of the party's constitutional reforms in 2004.

He was the SNP candidate for the Tayside North constituency in 1983, Dundee West in 1987 and Dumfries in 1992.

Morgan was elected as the Member of Parliament for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale at the 1997 general election and served as a member of the Trade and Industry Select Committee and as leader of the SNP parliamentary group in the House of Commons from 1999 to 2001. Morgan stepped down at the 2001 general election.

He was elected as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale in 1999, with a majority of 3,201 votes. He served as convener of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee from 2000 to 2001.[3] At the 2003 Scottish Parliamentary election, he narrowly lost his constituency seat to Alex Fergusson of the Scottish Conservative Party by just 99 votes. However, he was elected as a List MSP for the South of Scotland region.[4] In 2007, he was re-elected by the regional list.[5]

Morgan served as convener of the Enterprise and Culture Committee from 2003 to 2004, convener of the SNP parliamentary group from 2003 to 2005, and as SNP chief whip from 2005 to 2007. Morgan was a Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 2007 to 2011. He retired as an MSP at the 2011 Scottish Parliamentary election. In May 2014, he was appointed as an Electoral Commissioner and served until Sep 2022.[6]

Personal life

Morgan is married with two daughters. He lives in Dunfermline, Fife.

References
  1. "Morgan, Alasdair Neil, (Born 21 April 1945), Member (SNP) Scotland South, Scottish Parliament, 2003–11 (Galloway & Upper Nithsdale, 1999–2003) | Who's WHO & WHO WAS WHO".
  2. "Alasdair Morgan MSP and Trish Godman MSP elected Deputy Presiding Officers". www.parliament.scot. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  3. "Previous MSPs: Session 1 (1999–2003): Alasdair Morgan". Scottish Parliament. 8 April 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  4. "Previous MSPs: Session 2 (2003–2007): Alasdair Morgan". Scottish Parliament. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  5. "Previous MSPs: Session 3 (2007–2011): Alasdair Morgan". Scottish Parliament. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  6. "Two new Electoral Commissioners approved" (Press release). Electoral Commission. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
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