George Ferguson | |
---|---|
1st Mayor of Bristol | |
In office 19 November 2012 – 5 May 2016 |
|
Preceded by | Office created |
Succeeded by | Marvin Rees |
Personal details | |
Born |
George Robin Paget Ferguson 22 March 1947 Winchester, Hampshire, England |
Political party |
Liberal (1970–1988) Liberal Democrats (1988–2012) Bristol 1st (2012–present) |
Domestic partner | Lavinia (separated 2000) |
Children | Alice, John and Corinna |
Residence | Southville, Bristol |
Alma mater |
Wellington College, Berkshire University of Bristol |
Occupation | Former politician, former architect, businessman |
George Robin Paget Ferguson CBE, PPRIBA, RWA (born 22 March 1947) is a British politician, former architect, entrepreneur, and was the first elected Mayor of Bristol.
Ferguson was co-founder of Ferguson Mann Architects in 1979, where regeneration and historic building work formed the foundation of the practice. He was also founder of the national architectural group Acanthus. He is a past president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (2003–2005) where "he was noted for championing the causes of education, the environment and good urbanism". He was a founding director of The Academy of Urbanism and a founding member of the British sustainable transport charity Sustrans. Ferguson was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours for services to architecture, and to the community in the South West of England. In November 2012, Ferguson became the first elected Mayor of Bristol. He was a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers before stepping down due to conflict of interests on becoming Mayor of Bristol.
Ferguson was born on 22 March 1947, in the city of Winchester, in Hampshire. His father’s military career took the family to Gibraltar, to the South and North of England and to Norway prior to settling in Wiltshire. While in Gibraltar, Ferguson contracted infant polio.
Ferguson was educated at Wellington College. Ferguson read architecture at the University of Bristol from 1965 to 1971. Ferguson has been awarded honorary degrees from the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England. Ferguson went to Bristol University in 1965 and, apart from one year in London, has lived in the city since.