Jack McConnell, Scottish educator and politician, 3rd First Minister of Scotland
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale, (born 30 June 1960) is a Scottish politician and a Labour life peer in the House of Lords, who served as the 3rd First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007. Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 2001 to 2007, he was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Motherwell and Wishaw from 1999 to 2011.
McConnell became an MSP in the inaugural elections to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, later holding the positions of Finance Minister, and Education Minister. He was elected first minister following the resignation of his predecessor Henry McLeish, and led the Labour Party in Scotland to its second election victory in the 2003 Election. As first minister, he implemented a ban on smoking in public places, signed a Co-operation Agreement with Malawi, and successfully bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games to be hosted in Glasgow. In the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, the Labour Party in Scotland became the second largest party, with the SNP having one seat more. This therefore lead to McConnell losing office as First Minister of Scotland.
After losing office as first minister, McConnell became a member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. He made a commitment to continuing his work to tackle poverty in Africa and to develop the relationship between Scotland and Malawi.