1. Catherine Mario Ullrich was a Scottish politician who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the West of Scotland region from 1999 to 2003.
16 Facts About Kay Ullrich
1. 2.
Kay Ullrich's father was a member of the Scottish Unionist Party.
3.
Kay Ullrich was educated at Ayr Academy, before gaining a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work at Queen's College in Glasgow.
4.
In 1965, Kay Ullrich joined the Scottish National Party, having felt anger at Polaris nuclear missiles being stationed on the Clyde, and campaigned for Scottish independence all her life.
5.
Kay Ullrich was a school swimming instructor from 1973 to 1982 and then worked as a school, hospital and court social worker from 1984 to 1997.
6.
Kay Ullrich took early retirement from social work in 1997.
7.
Kay Ullrich stood unsuccessfully as an SNP candidate at several general elections: Cunninghame South and Motherwell South at the 1992 general election with Andrew Wilson as her election agent.
8.
The sudden death of Labour Leader John Smith in May 1994 triggered the Monklands East by-election, where Kay Ullrich stood as an SNP candidate.
9.
Kay Ullrich reduced Labour's majority at the election, but was defeated by Labour's candidate Helen Liddell.
10.
At the 1999 Scottish Parliament election, Kay Ullrich stood as a constituency candidate in Cunninghame North, where she was runner-up to Allan Wilson.
11.
Kay Ullrich was a member of the Health and Community Care Committee and the Procedures Committee.
12.
In 2005, following the retirement of Winnie Ewing, Kay Ullrich stood for the position of SNP President, losing to Ian Hudghton.
13.
Kay Ullrich later supported Sturgeon when she stood for selection as a candidate in Glasgow Shettleston in 1992, stating "This lady here will be the first female leader of the SNP one day".
14.
Kay Ullrich was presented, posthumously, with the SNP President's Prize by Michael Russell at the SNP party conference in November 2021, in recognition of her "exceptional active commitment to the SNP and Scottish Independence".
15.
Kay Ullrich married and had two children; one son and one daughter, journalist Shelley Jofre.
16.
Kay Ullrich died on 4 January 2021 at the age of 77.