About Us
Rt. Hon. Henry McLeish
The Right Honourable Henry McLeish is the former First Minister of Scotland (the head
of the Scottish government) and has represented his home constituency of Fife as a
Member of the UK Parliament and as a Member of the Scottish Parliament. He served
in the Labour government of Prime Minister Tony Blair as Minister for Devolution and
Home Affairs, and in this capacity was a leader in the creation of the Scottish Parliament
in 1999. In the first Scottish Parliament he served as Minister for Enterprise before
becoming First Minister.
Since retiring from politics in 2003, Mr. McLeish has remained active in public affairs,
chairing the Scottish government鈥檚 Commission on Prisons and producing a major commissioned
report on the state of football in Scotland, among other high-level posts. In addition
to his USF appointment, he is an honorary professor at the University of Edinburgh,
a member of the King's Privy Council, and a regular contributor to public discussions
in the UK through print, radio, television, and internet media. He also lectures frequently
on British and European politics at universities and other institutions in the US,
EU, and UK.