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Patricia Ferguson
PatriciaFergusonMSP20110510.JPG
Official portrait, 2011
Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
In office
12 May 1999 – 27 November 2001
Serving with George Reid
Presiding Officer David Steel
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Murray Tosh
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn
Glasgow Maryhill (1999–2011)
In office
6 May 1999 – 23 May 2016
Preceded by Constituency established
Succeeded by Bob Doris
Personal details
Born
Patricia Josephine Ferguson

(1958-09-24) 24 September 1958 (age 65)
Glasgow, Scotland
Political party Scottish Labour Party
Spouse Bill Butler
Alma mater Glasgow College of Technology

Patricia Josephine Ferguson (born 24 September 1958, Glasgow) is a Scottish Labour Party politician who was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Maryhill constituency from 1999 until 2011 and for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn from 2011 until 2016.

Background

Ferguson was educated at Garnethill Convent Secondary School in Glasgow between 1970 and 1976, and at Glasgow College of Technology, where she obtained an HNC in Public Administration in 1978. She spent part of her childhood living in the city's Red Road Flats.

Prior to entering the Scottish Parliament, she worked as a health service administrator between 1978 and 1990, with the Scottish Trades Union Congress between 1990 and 1994, and with the Scottish Labour Party between 1994 and 1999.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

She was first elected as an MSP in 1999 for the newly created Glasgow Maryhill constituency, a seat she held until 2011 when Glasgow Maryhill was merged with other constituencies to form the Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn constituency. She won the 2011 Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn election but lost her seat in 2016 to SNP member Bob Doris.

After being elected as MSP for Glasgow Maryhill in May 1999, she was Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 until 2001 and as a member of several of the Parliament's Standards and Procedures Committees.

She was first appointed to the Scottish Executive Cabinet in November 2001 as Minister for Parliament when Jack McConnell became First Minister. She became Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport in October 2004.

In 2006, her name was included on a variant of a Nigerian scam email after a high-profile trip to Malawi as part of her Scottish Executive brief.

Local Government

In the 2022 Glasgow City Council election, Ferguson was one of four members (including Labour colleague Paul Carey) elected to represent the Drumchapel/Anniesland ward.

Westminster candidate

Ferguson will stand as the Labour candidate for the new constituency of Glasgow West at the next general election.

Personal life

She is married to former Labour MSP Bill Butler.

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