Alex Salmond

Alba Party leader and First Minister of Scotland 2007–2014 (1954–2024)

Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (/ˈsæmənd/ SAM-ənd; 31 December 1954 – 12 October 2024) was a Scottish politician, economist and television host. He was the First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. He was also the Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2004 to 2014. He was an important figure in the Scottish independence movement.


Alex Salmond
Official portrait, 2007
First Minister of Scotland
In office
17 May 2007 – 18 November 2014
MonarchElizabeth II
DeputyNicola Sturgeon
Preceded byJack McConnell
Succeeded byNicola Sturgeon
Leader of the Alba Party
In office
26 March 2021 – 12 October 2024
DeputyKenny MacAskill
UK Parliament LeaderNeale Hanvey
Preceded byLaurie Flynn
Leader of the Scottish National Party
In office
3 September 2004 – 14 November 2014
DeputyNicola Sturgeon
Preceded byJohn Swinney
Succeeded byNicola Sturgeon
In office
22 September 1990 – 26 September 2000
DeputyAlasdair Morgan
Jim Sillars
Allan Macartney
John Swinney
Preceded byGordon Wilson
Succeeded byJohn Swinney
Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party
In office
26 September 1987 – 22 September 1990
LeaderGordon Wilson
Preceded byMargaret Ewing
Succeeded byAlasdair Morgan
Parliamentary offices
Member of Parliament
for Gordon
In office
8 May 2015 – 3 May 2017
Preceded byMalcolm Bruce
Succeeded byColin Clark
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Aberdeenshire East
Gordon (2007–2011)
In office
3 May 2007 – 24 March 2016
Preceded byNora Radcliffe
Succeeded byGillian Martin
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Banff and Buchan
In office
6 May 1999 – 7 June 2001
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byStewart Stevenson
Member of Parliament
for Banff and Buchan
In office
12 June 1987 – 12 April 2010
Preceded byAlbert McQuarrie
Succeeded byEilidh Whiteford
Personal details
Born
Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond

(1954-12-31)31 December 1954
Linlithgow, Scotland
Died12 October 2024(2024-10-12) (aged 69)
Ohrid, North Macedonia
Cause of deathHeart attack
Political partyAlba Party (2021–2024)
Other political
affiliations
Spouse(s)
Moira McGlashan
(m. 1981)
EducationEdinburgh College of Commerce
University of St Andrews
Cabinet
  1. Membership suspended briefly in 1982.

Early life

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Salmond was born in Linlithgow, Scotland. He studied at the University of St Andrews. He became an economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland. In 1981, he married Moira McGlashan.

Political career

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Salmond became a Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Banff and Buchan at the 1987 General Election. In 1990, Alex Salmond became the leader of the Scottish National Party. He became a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Banff and Buchan at the 1999 Scottish Parliament Election and resigned as SNP leader in 2000.

Salmond became the party leader again in 2004 and stood in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election for the constituency of Gordon. At this election, the SNP received the highest number of seats and the highest share of the vote in Scotland, but did not have enough seats to form a majority government. The SNP went on to form a minority government with Alex Salmond becoming First Minister.

Alex Salmond was against the 2003 invasion of Iraq and was one of several MPs who called for Prime Minister Tony Blair to be impeached. At the 2010 General Election, Alex Salmond stood down as a Member of Parliament but argued against the BBC's decision not to allow the SNP on the televised Prime Ministerial Debates.

On 19 September 2014, following the results of the independence referendum which confirmed a majority of the Scottish people had voted to remain as part of the United Kingdom, Salmond announced that he would be resigning as First Minister in November 2014. Salmond formally resigned as First Minister on 18 November 2014, with his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon taking office two days later.

Salmond died from a heart attack on 12 October 2024 after delivering a speech in Ohrid, North Macedonia at the age of 69.[2][3]

References

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  1. "Alex Salmond". Desert Island Discs. 21 January 2011. BBC Radio 4. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  2. Andrews, Kieran (2024-10-12). "Alex Salmond, former first minister of Scotland, dies aged 69". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  3. "Alex Salmond's cause of death confirmed as heart attack, Alba Party says". Sky News. Retrieved 15 October 2024.

Other websites

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