Alex Salmond

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.

The Right Honourable Alex Salmond
Official portrait, 2007
First Minister of Scotland
In office 17 May 2007 – 18 November 2014
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Deputy	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	Jack McConnell
Succeeded by	Nicola Sturgeon
Leader of the Alba Party
In office 26 March 2021 – 12 October 2024
Deputy	Kenny MacAskill
UK Parliament Leader	Neale Hanvey
Preceded by	Laurie Flynn
Leader of the Scottish National Party
In office 3 September 2004 – 14 November 2014
Deputy	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	John Swinney
Succeeded by	Nicola Sturgeon
In office 22 September 1990 – 26 September 2000
Deputy	Alasdair Morgan Jim Sillars Allan Macartney John Swinney
Preceded by	Gordon Wilson
Succeeded by	John Swinney
Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party
In office 26 September 1987 – 22 September 1990
Leader	Gordon Wilson
Preceded by	Margaret Ewing
Succeeded by	Alasdair Morgan
Parliamentary offices Member of Parliament for Gordon In office 8 May 2015 – 3 May 2017 Preceded by Malcolm Bruce Succeeded by Colin Clark Member of the Scottish Parliament for Aberdeenshire East Gordon (2007–2011) In office 3 May 2007 – 24 March 2016 Preceded by Nora Radcliffe Succeeded by Gillian Martin Member of the Scottish Parliament for Banff and Buchan In office 6 May 1999 – 7 June 2001 Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by Stewart Stevenson Member of Parliament for Banff and Buchan In office 12 June 1987 – 12 April 2010 Preceded by Albert McQuarrie Succeeded by Eilidh Whiteford
Personal details
Born	Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (1954-12-31)31 December 1954 Linlithgow, Scotland
Died	12 October 2024(2024-10-12) (aged 69) Ohrid, North Macedonia
Cause of death	Heart attack
Political party	Alba Party (2021–2024)
Other political affiliations	Scottish National Party (1973–2018) 79 Group (1981–1982)
Spouse(s)	Moira McGlashan ​ (m. 1981)​
Education	Edinburgh College of Commerce University of St Andrews
Cabinet	First Salmond government Second Salmond government

Early life

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

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.

Death

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

Other websites

• Alex Salmond on IMDb
• Template:SP-MSP
• First Minister (Scotland.gov.uk)
• Official biography (www.snp.org)
• Guardian profile, Electoral history and profile (guardian.co.uk)
• TheyWorkForYou.com
• Voting Record — Alex Salmond MP, Banff & Buchan (10525) (The Public Whip)
• Appearances on C-SPAN