Rosemary Butler (politician)

Infobox Politician
name=Rosemary Butler AM

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imagesize=150px
birth_date =birth date and age|df=yes|1943|1|21
birth_place = England
office = Assembly Member
constituency=Newport West
term_start =1999
term_end =
predecessor = (new post)
successor = (incumbent)
office2 = Deputy Presiding Officer
term_start2= 2007
term_end2 =
predecessor2 = John Marek
successor2 = Incumbent
office3 = Minister for Education
term_start3 = 1999
term_end3 = 2000
firstminister3 = Alun Michael
predecessor3 = (new post)
successor3 = Jane Davidson
office4 =
term_start4 =
term_end4 =
primeminister4 =
predecessor4 =
successor4 =
party = Labour

Rosemary Butler (born 21 January 1943, Much Wenlock) is a British politician and Labour Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Newport West since 1999. Serving briefly as Assembly Secretary for Education in the first two years of the Assembly, she was elected Deputy Presiding Officer of the Assembly in May 2007.

Family

Butler was born in Much Wenlock, Shropshire but her family moved to the Rhymney Valley soon after. They then moved to Newport where she attended St Julian's High School. Her husband Derek Butler, whom she married in 1966, is a lecturer in art and design, and they have two daughters.

Local politics

In 1971 Butler joined the Labour Party. She was elected to Newport Borough Council from Caerleon ward in 1973, and played an important part in Labour administrations on the council as Deputy Leader and Mayor of Newport in 1989-90. She was Chair of the Leisure Services Committee for 12 years.

National Assembly

At the first Assembly election in 1999, Butler was selected as Labour candidate for Newport West which she won. She was appointed Assembly Secretary for Education: Minister for Children and Young People (up to 16) by Alun Michael but held office only for a year, leaving in October 2000 when the new First Minister Rhodri Morgan formed a coalition government.

She was Chair of the Assembly's Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee and served on the Panel of Chairs. She lead the British Council activities in the Assembly and also represents the Assembly on the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) where she is a member of the Bureau (executive) of the Committee.

Deputy Presiding Officer

In 2007 she was picked as the Labour group's nominee for Deputy Presiding Officer of the Assembly, a position vacant by the defeat of the previous holder and which had to be held by a member from a different party to the Presiding Officer. Her election by the whole of the Assembly was not opposed.

References

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/uk/wales/13009.stm BBC profile]
* [http://www.rosemarybutleram.com/ Personal website]

Offices held