Elizabeth Maconachie

Last updated

Elizabeth Hamill Maconachie OBE (died 18 August 1989 [1] ), known as Bessie Maconachie, was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.

Maconachie studied at Queen's University Belfast, then worked as a schoolteacher. At the 1953 Northern Ireland general election, she was elected to the House of Commons of Northern Ireland as an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MP for the Queen's University of Belfast seat. One of only a very few women to serve at Stormont, she held her seat until its abolition in 1969. [2] She was on the more liberal wing of the UUP, and favoured some reform. [3]

Maconachie was a member of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, [4] In the 1970s, Maconachie served as Chairman of the Unionist Society. [5] She as appointed OBE in the 1976 New Year Honours.

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">David Trimble</span> First Minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2002

William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, was a Northern Irish politician who was the inaugural First Minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2002, and leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 1995 to 2005. He was also Member of Parliament (MP) for Upper Bann from 1990 to 2005 and Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Upper Bann from 1998 to 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead</span> British politician

James Henry Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead, KBE, PC, often known as Jim Molyneaux, was a unionist politician from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 1979 to 1995, and as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Antrim from 1970 to 1983, and later Lagan Valley from 1983 to 1997. An Orangeman, he was also Sovereign Grand Master of the Royal Black Institution from 1971 to 1995, and a leading member of the Conservative Monday Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Dodds</span> Northern Ireland politician

Nigel Alexander Dodds, Baron Dodds of Duncairn,, is a British unionist politician who has been the Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in the House of Lords since 2021, and was the deputy leader of the DUP from 2008 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvia Hermon</span>

Sylvia Eileen, Lady Hermon is a retired Unionist politician from Northern Ireland. She served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of North Down from 2001 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast South (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885–1918 and since 1922

Belfast South is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Claire Hanna of the SDLP.

The 1921 Irish elections took place in Ireland on 24 May 1921 to elect members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. These legislatures had been established by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which granted Home Rule to a partitioned Ireland within the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reg Empey</span> Northern Ireland politician (born 1947)

Reginald Norman Morgan Empey, Baron Empey,, best known as Reg Empey, is a Unionist politician from Northern Ireland, who was the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 2005 to 2010. He was the chairman of the Ulster Unionist Party from 2012 to 2019. Empey was also twice Lord Mayor of Belfast and was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Belfast from 1998 to 2011.

There were two elections in Ireland on 24 May 1921, following the establishment of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. New constituencies were established for both parliaments. A resolution of Dáil Éireann on 10 May 1921 held that these elections were to be regarded as elections to Dáil Éireann and that all those returned at these elections be regarded as members of Dáil Éireann. According to this theory of Irish republicanism, these elections provided the membership of the Second Dáil. The Second Dáil lasted 297 days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlene Foster</span> Northern Irish politician (born 1970)

Arlene Isobel Foster, Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee,, is a British broadcaster and former politician from Northern Ireland who served as First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2016 to 2017 and from 2020 to 2021 and as Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 2015 to 2021. She was the first woman to hold either position. Foster is a Member of the House of Lords, having previously been a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Fermanagh and South Tyrone from 2003 to 2021.

Independent Unionist has been a label sometimes used by candidates in elections in the United Kingdom, indicating a support for British unionism.

Robert David Stewart Campbell, CBE, usually known as David Campbell, is a politician, farmer and businessman from Northern Ireland. He was a member of the 1996–1998 Northern Ireland Forum, and Chairman of the Ulster Unionist Party from 2005 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawson Bates</span> Northern Irish politician

Sir Richard Dawson Bates, 1st Baronet, known as Dawson Bates, was an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) member of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland.

Dorothy Dunlop was a former Ulster Unionist and Conservative politician.

Sir Robert Wilson Porter, PC (NI), QC was a Northern Irish politician, barrister and judge. He served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II and was later an officer in the Territorial Army.

The 1952 Belfast South by-election was held following the resignation of Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Member of Parliament, Hugh Gage.

The House of Commons Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland at Stormont which changed the usual voting system used for the House of Commons of Northern Ireland from single transferable vote (STV) to first past the post (FPTP). As a consequence, the act also subdivided nine of the ten multiple-seat constituencies established by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 into 48 single-seat constituencies. The only exception was the Queen's University constituency, which remained STV under a plural voting system until its 1969 abolition. The act was passed in time for the 1929 Stormont election.

Norman Laird was a medical doctor and unionist politician in Northern Ireland.

May Steele was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Marshall (politician)</span>

Ian James Marshall is a farmer and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician from Markethill, County Armagh, in Northern Ireland. He is from a unionist background and campaigned against Brexit. He was elected to Seanad Éireann in Dublin in 2018, but lost his seat in the 2020 Seanad election.

References

  1. "Card catalogue of debates and oral and written questions in the Northern Ireland House of Commons and Senate, arranged by subject, 1921-1972". Sources for Irish Women’s History. Irish Manuscripts Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. Biographies of Members of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
  3. Conn McCluskey, Up off their knees, p.91
  4. Dorothy V. Hall, Making Things Happen, p.130
  5. Irish historical studies, Issues 129-130, p.106
Parliament of Northern Ireland
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Queen's University of Belfast
1953–1969
With: Eileen M. Hickey to 1958
Samuel Irwin to 1961
Frederick Lloyd-Dodd to 1962
Charles Stewart from 1958–1966
Sheelagh Murnaghan from 1961
Ian McClure from 1962
Robert Porter from 1966
Constituency abolished