Rosemary Butler

Rosemary was raised in the Rhymney Valley and attended St Julian's High School after her family moved to Newport.

Married to a lecturer in art and design, she has two daughters and four grandchildren.

Rosemary joined the Labour Party in 1971 and two years later was elected a member of Newport Borough Council, winning a surprise victory for Labour in what was then a solidly Conservative Caerleon.

Re-elected as a councillor for Caerleon at every subsequent local election, she relinquished her place on the local authority when she was selected as Newport West's first Labour candidate for the National Assembly for Wales election in May 1999. She was re-elected as Assembly Member for Newport West in 2003 and 2007.

During her 26 years as a Councillor she served as Deputy Leader of the Council and was Mayor of Newport in 1989/90. For 12 years she was Chair of the Borough's Leisure Services Committee.

Rosemary was appointed to the first Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales as Minister for pre-16 Education and Children.

In May 2007 she was elected to the post of Deputy Presiding Officer by a unanimous vote of the members of the National Assembly.

Rosemary has been a member of the Broadcasting Council for Wales, the Sports Council of Wales and the Arts Panel of the Arts Council of Wales and she was the Welsh Commissioner on the Museums and Galleries Commission.

She has served as Chair of the Board of the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, Director of Tourism South and West Wales and Trustee of the Cardiff Bay Arts Trust.

During the second term of the Welsh Assembly she chaired the Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee and was the Assembly's representative on the European Union’s Committee of the Regions based in Brussels.

Among her many interests, Rosemary is:

An Honorary Fellow of the University of Wales, Newport
Co-founder and Chair of the Newport International Competition for Young Pianists
An Honorary Citizen of Newport's twin town Kutaisi in the Republic of Georgia and founding member of the Newport-Kutaisi Twinning Association

President of the Friends of Newport Transporter Bridge
President of the Wales Home Safety Council
President of Newport Harriers Athletic Club
Honorary Life Member of Newport Sports Council
Life Member of Newport Cricket Club
Founder member of the Friends of Tredegar House
Ambassador for Girl Guiding
Founder member of Newport Women's Aid
Member of Women's International League of Peace and Freedom
Patron of Caerleon Arts Festival