Born in 1958, Patricia Ferguson attended Garnethill Convent Secondary in Glasgow.

Patricia was an administrator in the NHS for 15 years before leaving to work for the STUC.  Immediately before being elected to the Scottish Parliament Patricia was a Scottish Officer of the Labour Party and in the run-up to the 1997 General Election had responsibility for the seats of Ayr and Dumfries.

In May 1999 Patricia was elected as member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill.  She served as Deputy Presiding Officer, Chair of the Scottish Commission for Public Audit and as a member of the Standards and Procedures Committees until November 2001 at which time she was apppointed by the First Minister to the position of Minister for Parliamentary Business.  Patricia continued to serve as Minister for Parliamentary Business following her re-election to the Scottish Parliament on the 1st May 2003.  In October 2004 she was appointed to the position of Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport.

At the Scottish Parliament election on 3rd May 2007 Patricia was re-elected to represent the Glasgow Maryhill constituency and was subsequently appointed by Jack McConnell, former Shadow First Minister, to the position of Shadow Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, a post she held until 17th September 2007.

Patricia has represented the Scottish Parliament on the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body and at Tartan Day events in Washington.  She currently serves on the Scottish Parliament's Local Government and Communities Committee and Europe and External Affairs Committee and is also convener of the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on International Development.

Patricia's parliamentary interests include Housing and Regeneration, Education, Health and International Development.  Her leisure interests include travel, driving, photography, hill walking and reading.