Jim Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness

James "Jim" Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of tanker Ness in Orkney ( born August 25, 1954 in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland) is a Scottish politician.

Biography

After school he studied law at the University of Edinburgh and worked, after qualifying as a lawyer.

Wallace began his political career as a candidate of the Liberal Democrats in 1983 with the election of the Members of the British House of Commons, where he represented the interests of the constituency of Orkney and Shetland to 2001. Within the Group of the Liberal Democrats, he was from 1987 to 1992 Parliamentary Secretary ( Liberal Chief Whip ).

He then from 1992 to 2005, Chairman of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. In the elections on 6 May 1999 for newly established Scottish Parliament ( Pàrlamaid na h- Alba ), he was the top candidate of the Scottish Liberal Democrats and reached the 17 of the 129 parliamentary seats. He was honored for the Member for the constituency of Orkney.

After the election, the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government with the Scottish Labour Party. In the of the First Ministers ( Prìomh Mhinistear na h- Alba ) Donald Dewar, Henry McLeish and Jack McConnell -led governments, he took over from 1999 to 2005, the Office of the Deputy First Minister. At the same time he was Minister of Justice from 1999 to 2003 and then after a cabinet reshuffle to 2005 for enterprise and lifelong learning (Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning).

After the death of Dewars he was from 11 to October 27, 2000 Office of the First Minister of Scotland. A position he took over again from 8 to 22 November 2001, after the resignation of McLeish after the Office gate affair.

After his retirement from Parliament he was knighted for life peer with the title Baron Wallace of tanker Ness in Orkney 2007.