SIR ALEX Fergusson, the former Presiding Officer at Holyrood, has died aged 69.

The former farmer was the third Presiding Officer, chairing the chamber from 2007 to 2011.

He died at home after a short illness, surrounded by his family.

He was the first Conservative elected to the position, and the only PO to resume his role as an MSP after serving a term, representing the people of Galloway and West Dumfries.

His time as PO coincided with Alex Salmond leading the first SNP minority government in Scotland

Despite the fraught political atmosphere, he was able to command respect across party lines.

Flags have been lowered to half-mast at the Scottish Parliament.

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson led tributes to Sir Alex, calling him “a proper gentleman”.

She said: “His decency, compassion and wisdom earned him friends across all parties. His passing will be mourned by all who knew him.

"He enjoyed the respect of every MSP in the chamber.

"He was a passionate and influential advocate for his beloved south of Scotland. Even after he left the Scottish Parliament, he was continuing to campaign for issues close to his heart such as creating a new national park in the Galloway forest.

"A man of many talents, I will remember his wonderful singing voice, a love of Burns, and the richness he brought to parliament from his life outside politics, as a farmer and champion of rural Scotland.

"On behalf of everyone in the Scottish Conservatives, I offer my deepest condolences to his family and friends."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was "very sorry" at his passing.

She said: "Alex was a much-loved member of the Scottish Parliament - as a politician he had the rare gift of being able to argue his own case forcefully while at the same time always remaining on warm and friendly terms with his political opponents.

"As Presiding Officer, Alex led the Scottish Parliament during its first period of minority government – and through four years of often knife-edge votes, he always presided with courtesy, good humour and formidable attention to detail.

"But first and foremost, Alex was proud to represent and champion his home community and the South of Scotland in the national parliament.

"My thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues."

Ken Macintosh, the current Presiding Officer, said: “Alex never sought the position of Presiding Officer. His duty, as he saw it, was to the people of Galloway and Upper Nithsdale who had just elected him to Parliament for a second time.

“With the parties finely balanced and a minority government forming, colleagues turned to Alex to take the chair as devolution entered unchartered territory.

“Self-effacing as ever, he had to be persuaded, but he relented and accepted the job through a deep-seated sense of duty and service.

“He was the first Presiding Officer to preside during a minority government and the unique challenges this presented to Parliament. He did so with good humour, no shortage of skill and a fundamental decency that was recognised by Members from every party across the chamber.

“At Holyrood and in life beyond politics, there are few people who had the pleasure of knowing Alex who did not like him immensely.

“He is the first Presiding Officer to leave us, and he will be missed terribly by Members and staff alike.”

Sir George Reid, who preceeded Sir Alex as PO, said: "Alex was a Tory gentleman of the old school: decent, modest, honourable, totally devoted to his constituency and to rural Scotland.

"Before he stood as Presiding Officer he came to see me. He was far from keen.

"I said that he was the only candidate who could command respect across the whole Parliament and it was his duty to stand.

"Alex did his duty, and he did it well."

David Mundell, the Tory Scottish Secretary, who also represents a Borders seat, said: “To me, Alex was foremost a great friend and I will miss him dearly.

“He is the most thoroughly decent person I have ever known. He was the absolute opposite of the career politician and was guided a sense of public duty and his core values of family, community and country, rather than party dogma.

“Managing the first minority government was not without its challenges, but Alex approached the job with calm and dignity that was the hallmark of everything he did.

“But not for him, were the trappings of high office - he turned down the official car and drove himself back to Galloway every week so he could work for the constituents he always saw as his priority.

“They like us all will miss him, but we can take comfort from the positive mark his public service has left on Scotland."

Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie added: "I’m so sorry to learn of the death of Holyrood's former Presiding Officer, Alex Fergusson.

"He was always a decent person, and very fair in the Presiding Officer's chair at Parliament. On behalf of the Scottish Greens, I extend our condolences to his family and friends."

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: "I'm extremely sad to hear of Alex's passing. He was held in warm regard by all of us in the Scottish Parliament, presiding over the first period of minority government and guiding the parliament through uncharted territory with great skill.

"On behalf of my party I would like to offer my condolences to Alex's family and friends at this tremendously difficult time."

Born in Wigtownshire, Alexander Charles Onslow Fergusson was educated at Eton, and spent two years in New Zealand before returning to Scotland to study agriculture and take over his family’s 1500-acre hill farm, rearing sheep and cattle.

He entered politics to speak up rural causes, particularly in the South of Scotland.

He was elected as a list MSP for the region in 1999, then won the Galloway and Upper Nithsdale seat from the SNP in 2003, holding it until 2011, and then winning the redrawn Galloway and West Dumfries seat.

He was seen as arguably Holyrood’s most reluctant Presiding Officer, and was torn over renouncing his party ties when he took on neutral role.

He did not have an auspicious start, famously bungling a televised football draw at the Scottish Parliament by reading out the wrong team names, forcing the Scottish Football League to issue a hasty correction over the CIS Insurance Cup Semi-Final.

“As a lifelong Stranraer fan I think everyone can be assured that there was no ulterior motive,” he joked ruefully.

After leaving the PO’s chair in 2011 he was entitled to a pension of about £20,000 a year but donated it to charities in his constituency.

After serving as Tory spokesman on rural affairs, he stood down from Holyrood at the 2016 election, saying he would “never forget the honour” of having served as its figurehead.

“Someone once said that a week is a long time in politics, but I have to say that the last 17 years have simply flown by,” he said.

He received a knighthood in the following Queen’s birthday honours for services to politics and political life.

He leaves behind his wife Merryn and three sons.