In 1971, Fergusson took over his family farm in Barr. He ran this hill farm, rearing cattle and sheep, gaining a considerable reputation in farming circles. Fergusson later became the President of the Blackface Sheepbreeders’ Association.[3] He was a Deputy Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran and a member of the Scottish Landowners Federation and the Game Conservancy Trust.[4]
Fergusson said he entered politics mainly to champion rural causes in his own region: "I was particularly exercised by the fact that whenever anybody talked about rural Scotland, they seemed to talk about the Highlands and Islands. I come from the south of Scotland, and I was keen to provide a rural voice from the south of Scotland."[6]
During this time, Fergusson was lead spokesman for Agriculture and Forestry for the Conservative party, and Convener of the Rural Development Committee, including during the passage of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002. As spokesman, he described laws banning entirely the docking of dogs' tails as "complete and utter folly", arguing that there was a significant difference between the cosmetic docking of entire tails and the shortening of the tails of working dogs. He gained a reputation as a passionate advocate on rural affairs, respected across parties for his political astuteness.[7] He was also one of the biggest rebels from the Conservative whip in the second session of Parliament.[8]
Fergusson as Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, May 2007
After retaining his marginal seat at the 2007 election, with an increased majority of 3,333,[9][10] on 14 May 2007 he was elected by his fellow MSPs to succeed George Reid as Presiding Officer[11] by a large majority, beating the other candidate Margo MacDonald by 108 votes to 20.
Because the position of Presiding Officer is an impartial one, the officeholder is required to remove himself from all party politics. Consequently, Fergusson resigned from the Conservative party. He indicated his intention to resign as Presiding Officer at the conclusion of his term, and stand for the Conservative party in 2011.[12] On his return to the Parliament after the 2011 Election, Fergusson stepped down as Presiding Officer and returned to the Conservative benches.
Fergusson announced in 2015 that he would not be seeking re-election in 2016 and would retire from politics after serving as MSP for 17 years. He was succeeded by Finlay Carson at the 2016 election.
Fergusson was knighted in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to politics, the Scottish parliamentary process and public life in Scotland.[14]
Personal life
Fergusson was the Honorary President of English-Speaking Union Scotland.[15] He was a patron of the Galloway National Park Association, a campaign for the area to become Scotland's third national park.[16] He listed rugby, curling, Scottish country dancing, folk music and public speaking amongst his hobbies.[17]
Fergusson was knighted in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to politics, the Scottish parliamentary process and public life in Scotland.[14]
Death
Sir Alex Fergusson died on 31 July 2018, at the age of 69.[18] The First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute on Twitter, calling Fergusson a "distinguished presiding officer" and a "dedicated parliamentarian". The then leader of the Scottish Conservative Party Ruth Davidson also paid tribute on Twitter, calling Fergusson a "huge figure in the Scottish Conservative Party" and said that he "will be missed by many".
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