Billy Douglas (politician)

Last updated

William Douglas was a prominent unionist activist in Northern Ireland.

Douglas served in the British Army during World War I, under Herbert Dixon. When Dixon was elected for Belfast Pottinger at the 1918 general election, he appointed Douglas as his secretary. On the establishment of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, Dixon became the first Unionist Chief Whip, and he arranged Douglas's appointment as Superintendent of the Whips Office. Douglas used the post to liaise between the whips office and Unionist Party Headquarters. [1]

While Wilson Hungerford was serving as Secretary of the Ulster Unionist Council (UUC), he devoted little time to the post, allowing Douglas to take a leading role in the organisation, working alongside James Craig, Dixon and Dawson Bates to make policy and decide tactics. In 1941, he finally became Secretary to the UUC, where he focussed on maximising the Unionist Party vote, using every possible method. He resigned from the post in 1963, and was succeeded by his assistant, James O. Bailie. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulster Unionist Party</span> Political party in Northern Ireland

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movement. Following the partition of Ireland, it was the governing party of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. It was supported by most unionist voters throughout the conflict known as the Troubles, during which time it was often referred to as the Official Unionist Party (OUP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon</span> Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1940

James Craig, 1st Viscount CraigavonPC PC (NI) DL, was a leading Irish unionist and a key architect of Northern Ireland as a devolved region within the United Kingdom. During the Home Rule Crisis of 1912–14, he defied the British government in preparing an armed resistance in Ulster to an all-Ireland parliament. He accepted partition as a final settlement, securing the opt out of six Ulster counties from the dominion statehood accorded Ireland under the terms of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty. From then until his death in 1940, he led the Ulster Unionist Party and served Northern Ireland as its first Prime Minister. He publicly characterised his administration as a "Protestant" counterpart to the "Catholic state" nationalists had established in the south. Craig was created a baronet in 1918 and raised to the Peerage in 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonar Law</span> British statesman and politician (1858–1923)

Andrew Bonar Law was a British statesman and Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923.

The United Unionist Coalition (UUC), formerly known as the United Unionist Assembly Party, was a minor unionist political formation in Northern Ireland.

Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick,, was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972. He was also the chief executive of the short-lived Northern Ireland Executive during the first half of 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Chichester-Clark</span> Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from 1969 to 1971

James Dawson Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola, PC, DL was the penultimate Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and eighth leader of the Ulster Unionist Party between 1969 and March 1971. He was Member of the Northern Ireland Parliament for South Londonderry for 12 years, beginning at the by-election to replace his grandmother, Dame Dehra Parker in 1960. He stopped being an MP when the Stormont Parliament was suspended and subsequently abolished with the introduction of Direct Rule by the British Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Down (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1950 onwards

North Down is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Alex Easton, elected at the 2024 United Kingdom general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Craig (Northern Ireland politician)</span> Northern Irish politician

William Craig was a Northern Irish unionist politician and solicitor, best known for forming the Unionist Vanguard movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry West</span> Northern Ireland politician (1917–2004)

Henry William West was a Northern Irish unionist politician who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 1974 until 1979.

Thomas Gibson Henderson was an Independent unionist politician. He served in the House of Commons of Northern Ireland from 1925 to 1953 in vigorous opposition to the Unionist governments on all issues other than the partition of Ireland, and is famous for having at one stage spoken for nearly ten hours to outline his disagreements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Ulster Unionist Party leadership election</span>

The 2004 Ulster Unionist Party leadership election was triggered by the decision of a group of UUP members to challenge incumbent leader David Trimble over the party's direction following the 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly elections at the party's annual general meeting on 27 March 2004. The UUP has held a leadership election every March since at least the Ulster Unionist Council constitution was altered in 1973, however it is rarely contested. This is one of the few occasions when it has been contested.

Robert William Brian McConnell, Baron McConnell was an Ulster Unionist MP in the Northern Ireland House of Commons.

William Alexander Fraser Agnew, known as Fraser Agnew, is a retired Northern Irish unionist politician who was an Antrim and Newtownabbey Councillor for the Three Mile Water DEA from 2014 to 2023. He was previously an Independent Unionist Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast North from 1998 to 2003.

This is a list of people who served as Chief Whip of the Ulster Unionist Party in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Parliament of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Sir Alexander Wilson Hungerford, known as Wilson Hungerford, was a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.

Isaac George Hawthorne was a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.

John William Kennedy was a Northern Irish Ulster Unionist politician who was a member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland. He represented Belfast Cromac from 1962 to 1973.

James Orr Bailie, known as Jim Bailie, was a prominent unionist activist in Northern Ireland.

William Albert Boyd Douglas was a Northern Irish unionist politician and farmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Dissolution Honours</span> British government recognitions

The 1997 Dissolution Honours List was gazetted on 18 April 1997 following the advice of the outgoing Prime Minister, John Major. The only honours in this list were 21 life peerages.

References

  1. 1 2 John F. Harbinson, The Ulster Unionist Party, 1882-1973, pp.51-52
Party political offices
Preceded by Secretary of the Ulster Unionist Council
19411963
Succeeded by