Leader Alex Salmond Preceded by new constituency Preceded by Alex Salmond Succeeded by Alex Fergusson | Succeeded by Jim Sillars Name Alasdair Morgan Preceded by Michael Russell | |
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Alasdair Neil Morgan (born 21 April 1945) is a Scottish politician. He was Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party from 1990 to 1991 and a Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale from 1997 to 2001. He was elected in 1999 as a Member of the Scottish Parliament for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale. From 2003 to 2011 he served as a member for the South of Scotland region.
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Morgan was a Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 2007 to 2011. He is currently an Electoral Commissioner.
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 mathematics teacher at Linlithgow Academy and subsequently Douglas Ewart High School. He graduated from the Open University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1990.
He was employed from 1974 to 1980 as a Software Programmer at Shell, 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 has been a member of the SNP since 1974. He served as SNP National Treasurer from 1983 until 1990, when he was elected Senior Vice Convener (depute leader) in the same election that saw Alex Salmond first elected as SNP leader. Morgan was defeated by Jim Sillars in the depute leadership election the following year, but served as National Secretary from 1992 until 1997. In that year he was elected as one of the SNP's vice presidents, an office he held until these positions were abolished in the party's constitutional reforms of 2004.
He stood as the SNP parliamentary candidate for the Tayside North constituency in 1983, Dundee West in 1987 and Dumfries in 1992.
Morgan was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) 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 but stepped down at the 2001 general election.
He was elected as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale in 1999, with a majority of 3,201. He served as convener of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee from 2000 to 2001. In the 2003 election he 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. In 2007 he was again elected by the regional list.
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 until 2011. He retired as an MSP at the 2011 election. In May 2014 he was appointed as an Electoral Commissioner
Personal life
He is married with two daughters. He lives in Dunfermline in Fife.