Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond, known as Alex Salmond (born December 31, 1954), is the current First Minister of Scotland, heading a minority government. He is Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Member of Parliament for the constituency of Banff and Buchan, and the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon. He is currently serving his second term as leader of the SNP, taking over from John Swinney.

Jack Wilson McConnell (born June 30, 1960 in Irvine, North Ayrshire) is a former First Minister of Scotland, current leader of the Scottish Labour Party and Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency. To date he is the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament. McConnell became an MSP in the first elections to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, later holding the positions of Finance Minister, …

Donald Campbell Dewar (August 21, 1937 - October 11, 2000) was the first First Minister of Scotland from 1999 until his death in 2000. He was the first person to hold the position of First Minister following the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. Dewar was first elected to the British House of Commons in 1966, later becoming Secretary of State for Scotland in 1997 following the election of a Labour government under Tony Blair.

Margaret Curran (b. 24 November 1958) is a former Minister for Parliamentary Business in the Scottish Executive, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Baillieston. She became an MSP in the first elections to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, later holding positions as Deputy Minister for Social Justice and Minister for Communities.

Tom McCabe (born 28 April, 1954) is a Scottish Labour Party politician, a former Minister for Finance in the Scottish Executive, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Hamilton South. He became an MSP in the first elections to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, later holding the positions of Minister for Parliament (1999-2001), Minister for Health and Community Care (2003-2004), and later Minister for Finance.

Seamus Mallon (born on 17 August, 1936) is an Irish politician and former Deputy Leader of the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party in Northern Ireland. He served as the first Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, from 1999 to 2001.

Malcolm Chisholm (born 7 March 1949) is a Scottish Labour Party politician, and a former Scottish Executive minister. Chisholm was educated at George Watson's College and the University of Edinburgh and became an English teacher. He is married with three children. Chisholm was Member of Parliament for Edinburgh Leith from 1992, then Edinburgh North and Leith from 1997.

Iain Gray (born June 7 1957, Edinburgh) is a Scottish Labour politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for East Lothian from 2007. Previously he was MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands constituency from 1999 to 2003.

Sarah Boyack MSP (born 16 May 1961 in Glasgow) is the Labour MSP for Edinburgh Central in the Scottish Parliament. She was brought up in Edinburgh, where her father was an important figure in the Labour Party. She became a student at the University of Glasgow in 1979, and became active in the Labour Club, where she was a protege of Margaret Curran. She became chair of the Labour Club in 1981-82, and chair of the National Organisation of Labour Students in 1985-86.

Patricia Ferguson (born 24 September 1958, Glasgow) is a Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill, a seat which she has held since 1999. Ferguson was educated at Garnethill Convent Secondary School in Glasgow, and at Glasgow College of Technology, where she obtained an HNC in Public Administration. Prior to entering the Scottish Parliament, she worked as a health service administrator, …

Bill Butler (born March 30, 1956, Glasgow) is a Scottish Labour Party politician and former teacher. He represents Glasgow Anniesland in the Scottish Parliament, elected in the by-election following the death of First Minister Donald Dewar. He is a member of the Justice 2, Standards and Local Government & Transport Committees of the Parliament. A graduate of the University of Stirling and Notre Dame College of Education, …

Mary Mulligan (born 12 February 1960, Liverpool) is a Labour politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Linlithgow constituency since 1999. She was appointed Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care upon Jack McConnell becoming First Minister in 2001. After the reshuffle following the 2003 election she became Deputy Minister for Communities.

Alun Michael has been named as the new minister responsible for ecommerce, replacing the previous e-minister, Mike O'Brien, who has moved to the role of Solicitor General. Michael was previously minister of state for rural affairs from 2001. He is best know for steering anti-fox hunting legislation through parliament in the face of stiff opposition from the pro-hunt lobby.

Jackie Baillie (born January 15, 1964, Hong Kong) is a Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Dumbarton constituency. Schooled in the English Lake District, she studied at Cumbernauld College, Strathclyde University and the University of Glasgow. She was first elected at the inaugural election for the Scottish Parliament. She was re-elected in 2003. A member of the Scottish Parliament's "Justice 2 Committee" and "Public Petitions Committee", …

Dr. Elaine Murray (born 22 December 1954, Hitchin) is a Labour politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Dumfries constituency since 1999. At the 1999, 2003 and 2007 elections, Dr Murray has continually increased her percentage share of the vote. A research scientist prior to her election, she was appointed Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport upon Jack McConnell becoming First Minister in 2001.

Frank Mulholland, QC, is a Scottish lawyer. On 24 May 2007, the First Minister Alex Salmond appointed him to succeed John Beckett as Solicitor General for Scotland, subject to the approval of parliament. This was achieved without the need for a vote. He was sworn in as Solicitor General at a ceremony at the Court of Session on 30 May 2007. He was previously Procurator Fiscal for Lothian and Borders.

Christine May (born 23 March 1948, Dublin) is a Labour politician, and was Member of the Scottish Parliament for Fife Central constituency from 2003 to 2007. Raised and educated in Dublin, Christine worked in the catering industry in Dublin and then London, and first moved to Scotland in 1984, where she became a college lecturer.

Dr Richard Simpson (born 1942, Edinburgh) is a Scottish Labour politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Ochil constituency from 1999 to 2003, currently a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Mid-Scotland and Fife region as of the 2007 election A GP and psychiatrist prior to his election, he was made the deputy Justice minister when Jack McConnell became First Minister in 2001.

Angus MacKay (born 1964, Edinburgh) is a Scottish Labour politician, and was Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh South constituency from 1999 to 2003. He was made a deputy minister in the first Scottish Executive. After the death of Donald Dewar in 2000 he was campaign manager for Henry McLeish who went on to succeed Dewar as First Minister. McLeish appointed MacKay as Minister of Finance, replacing Jack McConnell.

Keith William Twort Raffan, (born 21 June 1949) in Aberdeen, is a former Scottish Liberal Democrat politician and a former Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). He was previously a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) in Westminster for the Welsh seat of Delyn, and was a chairman of Pressure for Economic and Social Toryism (precursor of the Tory Reform Group), placing him on the left of the Tories.

Duncan Hamilton (born 1973 in Troon) is a Scottish politician. He was a Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Highlands and Islands region from 1999 to 2003. In the 1999 election he stood as a constituency candidate in Argyll and Bute, where he finished second behind Liberal Democrat George Lyon. Upon his election in 1999 he was the youngest Member of the Scottish Parliament. In Holyrood he was a shadow deputy spokesman for the SNP.

Lloyd Quinan is a former member of the Scottish Parliament. Born and brought up in Edinburgh he joined the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 1974. A trained actor, he was a member of the Equity Union, before pursuing a media career as a weatherman and freelance broadcaster. He was involved in the National Union of Journalists during this period. in the Ealry 90's he work as a weatherman for Scottish TV, until there withdraw on screen prestenter for the weather.

Brian Fitzpatrick (born 1961) is a Scottish Labour Party politician. He attended St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic school in Glasgow before studying law at university. Between 1985 and 1992, Fitzpatrick worked as a solicitor. In 1999, First Minister Donald Dewar appointed him as Head of Policy in the First Minister's Policy Unit, he resigned from this post following Dewar's death in 2000. Fitzpatrick was a Member of the Scottish Parliament between 2001 and 2003.

The Premier of Quebec is the first minister for the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and its title is Premier and President of the Executive Council. The current Premier of Quebec is Jean Charest, re-elected on March 26, 2007.

The Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and "de facto" chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French word for "first" was used more commonly. The Premier is sworn in by the help of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, who represents the Queen at a provincial level.

Gregor Tait (born April 20, 1979 in Glasgow) is a Scottish swimmer. He is the reigning Commonwealth Games 200 m backstroke and 200 m individual medley champion. In addition to his two titles, Tait also claimed two bronze medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. He was hailed as a "national hero" upon his return by Scotland's First Minister, Jack McConnell.

Jonas Collett was a Norwegian civil servant and politician. Being known as one of the "Eidsvoll men", he played an important role in the events of Norway in 1814. Together with Niels Aall, he led the negotiations with Swedish general Magnus Björnstjerna which resulted in the Convention of Moss. Later, he participated in several governments.

Marcus Gjøe Rosenkrantz was first minister of Norway in the period 1814-1815. He was a lawyer, having studied at the University of Copenhagen.

Ludwig von Lützow was a Mecklenburgian statesman and politician. Born in Berlin as the son of Mecklenburgian envoy August von Lützow, he entered the service of the Mecklenburg-Schwerin government in 1816 as a junior lawyer, and in 1822 became a government advisor ("Regierungsrat"). With the accession of Grand Duke Paul Friedrich, he became on May 6, 1837 Second Minister and head of the regional government ("Regierungspräsident"), …

William Rittenhouse was born in what is now Germany, near the Dutch border. His name was then Wilhelm Rittenhausen , later changed in America. He apprenticed in a paper mill in the German city of Mulheim-Ruhr-Broich. Later he moved to Holland to stay with his older brother. Here he learned the Dutch methods of fine paper making. William emmigrated to Pennsylvania in 1688 with his son Nicholas. In 1690 he started the first paper mill in America.