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Former Pupil Biographies
Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP (1977 - current)
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Alexander Geoffrey Cole-Hamilton is a Scottish politician who became the Scottish
Liberal Democrat MSP for the constituency of Edinburgh Western in 2016. He
was born in Lancashire on 22nd July 1977. Alex is
the oldest of 4 brothers and sisters and from an early age he learned the
importance of looking out for others, sticking together and backing up
principles with action.
He learned to work hard for everything, he had his first job picking fruit
at the age of 10 and worked his way through school and university, giving
him a profound understanding of how important employment is to young
people starting out in life.
After attending Madras College he went to Aberdeen University where he was active in a range of charities working with
issues such as poverty and human rights. He was President of the Students'
Representative Council from 1999 until 2000.
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This experience was important when he was elected as President of the
Students' Association and worked hard with the Scottish Government to
reduce student poverty.
After leaving university, Alex chose a career in the Scottish voluntary
sector. He has dedicated his working life to a range of children’s
charities where he has used his knowledge of the Scottish political system
to bring about real change.
He often appears before parliamentary committees to fight for the needs of
vulnerable children and in 2014, Alex helped to bring about new laws
allowing looked after children to stay in care up to the age of 21. He
received several national awards in recognition of this achievement.
Alex lives in Blackhall with his wife Gillian and their 3 young
children. He is involved in the local community and has helped to lead
many local campaigns.
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