Alex Salmond: From youthful economics student to the brink of Scottish independence
Alex Salmond has today announced his intention to end a 24-year career at the forefront of Scottish politics.
He has been the leader of the Scottish National Party since 1990 - albeit with a four year gap at the start of the millennium - and became the first nationalist to lead the country.
Here is a brief look at Salmond's career in politics:
Alex Salmond was born in Linlithgow in 1954.
He attended St Andrew's University and graduated with a MA in Economics and History.
He joined the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1980, where he worked for seven years, and his roles included an oil and bank economist.
ITV News Correspondent Martin Geissler reports:
Salmond, who is a Hearts and golf fan, married his wife Moira in 1981 and they live in Strichen, Aberdeenshire.
In 1987, he was first elected as an MP for Banff and Buchan and only three years later he would become leader of the Scottish National Party.
Salmond continued as leader until 2000 when he stood down and was replaced by John Swinney.
However, he was not away from frontline Scottish politics for long and returned to lead the party in 2004 despite previously declaring that he definitely would not seek nomination.
In 2007, he was elected as a member of the Scottish Parliament for the Gordon constituency and it was also the year he made history.
Salmond became the first nationalist to be elected as First Minister of Scotland on 16 May after the SNP emerged the largest party in the country with 47 seats to Labour's 46.
The SNP won by a landslide in the 2011 election and called for a referendum on independence.
On 15 October 2012, David Cameron and Salmond reached an agreement to hold a referendum on Scotland's future in the autumn of 2014.
Years of campaigning ended on 18 September 2014 when millions of Scots went to the polls to cast their ballots on independence.
Scotland rejected independence by 55% to 45% and Salmond later decided to resign as First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party.
Source: Scottish National Party