Hyslop was born in Ayrshire and spent her early years in England, before moving back to Scotland. She attended the University of Glasgow, where she earned a Masters of Art in Economic History and Sociology. She moved to Edinburgh and worked for the Standard Life Assurance Company.[4] Hyslop joined the SNP in 1986 and spent her spare time campaigning in local elections. She unsuccessfully stood election to the British House of Commons for both the Edinburgh Leith and Edinburgh Central constituencies in the 1990s. In 1999, she was elected to the Scottish Parliament as an additional member for the Lothian regions.
Fiona Jane Hyslop[7] was born in Irvine, Ayrshire, on 1 August 1964.[8] At the age of three she moved to Grantham, England, where it made her feel Scotland was a "distinct country".[4] Her father died at a young age and her mother, a midwife, was left as a single parent to two children. Following the death of Hyslop's father, her family returned to Ayrshire where she attended Alloway Primary School and later Ayr Academy. In the 1970s, she began to have an interest in politics through her mother's friends, who were members of the Scottish National Party.[9]
When Hyslop was 14, her mother married her step-father, a general practitioner, who had two children. Her step-brother was hospital catering manager and her step-sister was in the police, giving Hyslop a sense of the importance of public services.[4] Her political awareness was enhanced in the 1980s, during the Thatcher years, to what she describes as the years Margaret Thatcher "attacked" public services.[10]
Hyslop helped campaign for the Scottish National Party at a local by-election even though she was not a member. In 1986, she eventually joined the Scottish National Party. She described herself as never being a "joiner" and joined the SNP after she read their manifesto, and felt that Scottish independence most suited her interests. She became the party's election agent for three regional candidates in the 1988 Scottish local elections and managed to win a seat.[4]
Whilst working in Edinburgh, Hyslop spent her spare time campaigning for the SNP and was an active member of the Young Scots Nationalists, the SNP's youth wing. She worked along with Charlie Reid of the Proclaimers and Angus Robertson. She worked on motions to move the SNP to a more centre-left, social democratic party. Hyslop became Vice Convener for Policy and served on the SNP Executive Committee.[4]
Following the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament, Hyslop stood on the SNP's additional list for the Lothian region and was elected in 1999.[12] Her first years as Member of the Scottish Parliament, strengthened her views on Scottish independence after seeing the lack of powers the parliament really had.[4]
In 2003, Hyslop sought re-election to the 2nd Scottish Parliament, this time as a candidate for the Linlithgow constituency. Although she failed to win this constituency, she was re-elected from the Lothian regional list.[13] She felt frustrated by the lack of influence the parliament had over the Iraq war and believed Scotland's place in the world "would be far better strengthened by independence."[4]
Hyslop, once again, stood for the Linlithgow constituency in the 2007 election. She lost the seat, again, but increased her vote share and retained her seat on the Lothian list.[14]
Hyslop lives in Linlithgow with her husband and their three children.[4] She met her husband, Kenneth Anderson, through the SNP and the couple married in 1994.[10]
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