After exactly nine years and one day as Wales’ first minister, Carwyn Jones stood down this week. IAN CRAIG looked at the legacy of the man who has steered Wales through some of the most turbulent political times in living memory.

AFTER a tenure on the front line of Welsh politics which has seen three General Elections, two Assembly Elections, two Local Government Elections, two referendums - one far more contentious than the other - and three prime ministers - Carwyn Jones has finally retired to the backbenches of the Assembly.

Although Mr Jones had made no secret of plans to step down before the 2021 Assembly Election, few thought it would come when it did, and his announcement at this year’s spring conference in April came as a shock to even his closest advisers.

And his formal resignation this week brings an end to a storied career on the political front line.

One of only nine AMs elected when the Assembly was established in 1999 to still have a seat in the Senedd, it was only a year and two months before Mr Jones, who joined Labour at 18, joined Rhodri Morgan’s cabinet with responsibility for agriculture and rural development. And he faced his first major challenge when the foot and mouth outbreak hit in the summer of 2001.

His handling of the crisis won him widespread acclaim, and he quickly rose through the ranks, ultimately succeeding Mr Morgan on December 10, 2009.

Speaking to the Argus in 2016 the first minister said, like so many other Welsh politicians, he developed an interest in politics during the miners’ strike in the mid-1980s.

“My family had a mining background and I could see the effect it was having on mining communities,” he said. “That really sparked my interest in politics and led me then to the Labour Party.”

Decisions made under Mr Jones’ tenure include buying Cardiff Airport in 2012, introducing the the new opt-in organ donation law in 2015, and ending right to buy in a bid to halt the shortage in affordable housing.

But the long-awaited M4 relief road remains up in the air - despite Mr Jones saying repeatedly he would make a decision on the scheme before he left office - and a bid to ban the use of e-cigarettes in public places in 2016 fell at the final hurdle.

And, while he campaigned against Brexit, Wales ultimately voted to leave the EU in 2016, a decision the first minister said he was “deeply disappointed” by.

Head of Cardiff University's Department of Politics and International Relations Professor Roger Awan-Scully said Mr Jones would be remembered as someone who was able to steer Welsh Labour into some electoral success.

“As an election campaigner he has a very positive record, he said. “He led his party to their best every election result in 2011, and in 2016, in a much more difficult situation, they only lost one seat.

“Last year in the General Election things were looking dire for Labour, and he put his neck on the line and Labour won three seats.

“But in policy terms is a bit more flexible. People look at the economic record and the record in education and health and people are a lot more dubious.”

But, contrary to many front-line politicians, Mr Jones’ tenure has been largely scandal-free. Or it was, until the death of Carl Sargeant, which has cast a ver dark cloud over his final days in office.

When the former minister died in November last year, just four days after Mr Jones sacked him from the cabinet following allegations of misconduct around women, the first minister faced immediate calls to quit.

There was speculation he was going to step down when he called a press conference two days after Mr Sargeant died - and he admitted in a BBC documentary earlier this week he had considered it - but he remained resolute.

Mr Jones had reportedly said he wanted the inquiry into his actions in the days around Mr Sargeant’s sacking and death concluded before stepped down so he could leave with a clean record. But there is no sign of this finishing any time soon, and the inquest into Mr Sargeant’s death was adjourned indefinitely last month while Mr Jones is called to give new evidence - meaning this is an issue which will continue to hang over him for the foreseeable future.

Professor Awan-Scully said the affair would inevitably frame the way people remembered Mr Jones’ tenure.

“I don’t think anyone is in any doubt that he (Mr Jones) is a decent human being, but he seems to have presided over a government where they was some element of bullying culture,” he said. “That is something people will remember.”

An online poll run by news blog nation.cymru earlier this week gave a pretty damning indictment of Mr Jones’ legacy - with 46 per cent rating his performance ‘poor’ and 30 per cent saying he was ‘terrible’.

Closing his resignation speech on Tuesday, Mr Jones paid tribute to his successor Mark Drakeford, and said: “It has been a great pleasure to work alongside Mark, and all my cabinet colleagues past and present, who have given me such fantastic support for so many years.

“Mark is someone who can effortlessly match both principles and pragmatism, and I have no doubt at all that he will make a superb first minister of Wales.”

Mr Jones met his wife, Lisa, while at law school, and together they have two children, Seren and Ruairi.

He also has a close relationship with his father Caron Wyn Jones, who he has described as “a great rock in my life”. His mother Janice died just six days after he was made first minister.

In his speech at April’s spring conference he said he had “asked too much” of his family.

And in 2016 he told the Argus balancing family life with his duties as first minister and a constituency AM could be a challenge.

“What I try to do is free up a Friday as a day in the constituency,” he said.

“And I rarely get a free weekend.

“But four days a week it does tend to be the first minister roles I fulfil.

“It’s a tough old balance to try and strike.

“The kids have only known me as a minister in government.

“They’re kind of used to it, but you do make sacrifices, there’s no doubt about that.”

Senior Welsh politicians paid tribute to Mr Jones, with leader of the Welsh Conservatives Paul Davies calling him “a real giant of Welsh politics”.

“Carwyn’s time as first minister will be remembered for different reasons by different people and many versions of his legacy will be written up in the years to come,” he said.

“Whilst we have clashed on several occasions over the years, I am confident that there is more that unites us than divides us. We all want a healthier and more prosperous Wales, and we all fight for the best interests of the people we represent.”

And, speaking in the Assembly, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said: “May I wish you sincerely all the best for you and your family for the future, and thank you from the bottom of my heart, on behalf of the people of Wales, for your years of service.”

Meanwhile Assembly Ukip group leader Gareth Bennett said: “I haven’t always agreed with your answers, but on the whole you have demonstrated a good mastery of your very wide portfolio.”

And Torfaen AM Lynne Neagle, who, along with Mr Jones, was first elected to the Assembly in 1999, paid tribute to the former leader as "a real servant to Wales".

"He has fulfilled his responsibilities as first minister with commitment, dedication, ability and stature."

The Labour AM added: "He has overseen the delivery of some really innovative legislation in particular the well-being of future generations act, the social services and well-being act and the organ donation legislation.

"Throughout his time he has provided principled and passionate leadership that has helped carve out a distinctive reputation for Wales.

"As one of the nine Assembly Members who have been here since the beginning of the National Assembly I have often campaigned alongside Carwyn. He has been absolutely critical in speaking up for the people of Wales and in leading Welsh Labour to two elections wins."

And Newport East's John Griffiths, also elected in 1999, also hailed his former boss.

He said: "We have come a long way since 1999 and for the last nine years, Carwyn has fulfilled his role as first minister of Wales with tremendous passion, commitment and dedication.

"Carwyn has built on the firm foundations laid by Rhodri Morgan and his efforts are a tribute to his character. Carwyn has firmly secured his place in the progressive history of Wales.”

But professor Awan-Scully said it was difficult to define Mr Jones' tenure.

He said: "He’s been there for a long time, but what is Carwynism? What ultimately was the point, some people might ask.

"What was the clear direction, apart from making us all a bit better off?

"Some political leaders have a clear political direction. At the end of Carwyn’s time we are still struggling to see what that was."