Karen Gillon

{{Distinguish|Karen Gillan}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}} {{Short description|Scottish Labour Party politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Karen Gillon | honorific_suffix = | image = KarenGillon.jpg | caption = Gillon in 2011 | office = [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]]<br />for [[Clydesdale (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Clydesdale]] | parliament = Scottish | term_start = 6 May 1999 | term_end = 22 March 2011 | predecessor = ''Constituency established'' | successor = [[Aileen Campbell]] | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|8|18|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Jedburgh]], Scotland | death_date = | death_place = | birth_name= Karen Macdonald Turnbull | party = [[Scottish Labour]] | spouse = {{marriage|James Gillon|1999}} | children = 3 }}

'''Karen Macdonald Gillon''' (''{{née}}'' '''Turnbull'''; born 18 August 1967) is a [[Scottish Labour Party]] politician who served as [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] (MSP) for the constituency of [[Clydesdale (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Clydesdale]] from [[1999 Scottish Parliament election|1999]] to [[2011 Scottish Parliament election|2011]].

== Early life and career == Gillon was born in 1967 in [[Edinburgh]] to Edith Turnbull. She was educated at the state comprehensive [[Jedburgh Grammar School]] before going on to study at the [[University of Birmingham]]. Before entering politics, she worked in community education.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jedburgh Grammar Achievers (1)|url=http://www.schoolsproject.co.uk/rolemodelproject/schoolpgs/Scotland/1sbord/sbordsch/jedgrm/jedgrmpgs/jedgrm1.htm|work=schoolsproject.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216223444/http://www.schoolsproject.co.uk/rolemodelproject/schoolpgs/Scotland/1sbord/sbordsch/jedgrm/jedgrmpgs/jedgrm1.htm|archive-date=16 December 2014|accessdate=9 August 2015}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite dictionary|entry=Gillon, Karen Macdonald|entry-url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-17174|title=Who's Who|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U17174 |isbn=978-0-19-954088-4 |language=en|access-date=2020-05-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=5 November 2001|title=Man blamed for Borders finance fiasco set to answer questions|work=The Scotsman}}</ref> From 1997 until 1999, she served as personal assistant to [[Helen Liddell]] [[Member of parliament|MP]].

== Political career == Gillon was elected in the [[1999 Scottish Parliament election]], taking 16,755 votes (43.02%). She was re elected in [[2003 Scottish Parliament election|2003]] with 14,800 votes (46.62%) and in [[2007 Scottish Parliament election|2007]] with 13,835 votes (41.5%). She served as Labour's spokesperson on [[rural development]] until her defeat in 2011.

Gillon was co-chair of the ''Cross Party Group on Malawi'' and worked with civic society across Scotland and in the constituency of Clydesdale, to develop better links between the two countries. She was defeated in the [[2011 Scottish Parliament election]] by the candidate from the SNP, [[Aileen Campbell]], by 4,216 votes (14.1%).

== Personal life == Gillon is married to James Gillon with whom she has two sons and one daughter.<ref name=":0" /> Gillon is a [[Christian]] and has described the [[Beatitudes]] as the best example in the Bible of turning prayer into action.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Together We Pray|publisher=Saint Andrew Press|year=2018|isbn=978-0-7152-0996-7|location=Edinburgh|pages=136–138}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{SP-MSP}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|sct}} {{s-new|constituency}} {{s-ttl |title=[[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] for [[Clydesdale (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Clydesdale]] |years=[[1999 Scottish Parliament election|1999]]–[[2011 Scottish Parliament election|2011]] }} {{s-aft|after=[[Aileen Campbell]]}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillon, Karen}} [[Category:1967 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Labour MSPs]] [[Category:Female members of the Scottish Parliament]] [[Category:People from Jedburgh]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2003]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2003–2007]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham]] [[Category:20th-century Scottish women politicians]] [[Category:Scottish Christians]]