Conservative MSP Mary Scanlon is to stand down from Holyrood next year, saying watching her young granddaughter fight cancer had "brought home the precious time we have with our families".
Ms Scanlon, who was elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent the Highlands and Islands region in 1999, said it was a "great honour" to be one of the first MSPs.
While she admitted she would miss the "cut and thrust" of politics, she said retiring would allow her to spend more time with her family.
She said: "Watching my granddaughter's chemotherapy treatment for leukaemia over the last two years brought home the precious time we have with our families as they grow up. Alba is now eight and was diagnosed with leukaemia at six.
"I will miss the cut and thrust of politics and will also miss my colleagues, but retirement will allow me the time to see more of my family."
Ms Scanlon has been returned for the Conservatives in each of the four Holyrood elections since the Parliament was established.
But she spent some time out of the Parliament after stepping down from her seat to fight the Moray by-election following the death of Margaret Ewing in 2006.
Ms Scanlon said: "It was a great honour to be one of the 1999 intakes of MSPs. This was a historic occasion and a great privilege to be part of it.
"I continue to enjoy every moment in the Scottish Parliament and intend to work right up to next year's election representing the issues facing people in the Highlands and Islands.
"I am proud of my working class background. My father was a farm worker and instilled in us an ethic of hard work. Having left school at 15, I attended evening classes to gain qualifications to get into university as a mature student.
"I deeply believe that if I can be elected as a MSP from my background, having left school at 15, a mature university student, becoming a single parent with two children under three years old, then anyone in Scotland can do the same."
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said Ms Scanlon had been a "fantastic servant to the Parliament and the wider Conservative Party".
The Tory leader added: "She's a real grafter and a fearless champion of the Highlands and of her beliefs.
"Mary has been a great support to me and I will miss her in Holyrood. On behalf of the whole party, I'd like to thank her for her commitment and service."
Fellow Conservative MSPs Alex Fergusson and Nanette Milne announced last week that they will also be standing down at next May's Holyrood election.
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