John Carson (politician)
John Carson (born 1933) is a former Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist Party politician.
A draper who owned a shop in the interface area of the Duncairn Gardens in north Belfast, Carson was elected to Belfast City Council in 1973.[1] The following year he was elected as a member of the United Ulster Unionist Coalition as Member of Parliament for Belfast North from 1974. However he was de-selected in 1979 after voting in favour of the Labour government in the crucial vote of confidence which they lost.[2]
Despite this, he retained his popularity, topping the local government poll in the electoral area 'H',[1] which included over half of the parliamentary seat. He also topped the poll in North Belfast at the 1982 Assembly elections.[2]
Carson was Lord Mayor of Belfast from 1985–6 and in his capacity as a councillor was sometimes at odds with his party colleagues. For example, he attended a City Hall lunch attended by the then Secretary of State Tom King despite the Unionist policy of boycotting meetings with Government ministers in protest at the Anglo-Irish Agreement.[3] For this he was threatened with expulsion from the UUP, which never happened.[3]
He remained a member of Belfast City Council until 1997 when he lost his seat after 24 consecutive years on the council. [1][4][5]
He married Martha in 1953 and had two daughters. They celebrated their Diamond Anniversary in 2013. [6]
References
- 1 2 3 "Local Government Elections 1973 - 1981: Belfast". ark.ac.uk.
- 1 2 "North Belfast 1973-82". ark.ac.uk.
- 1 2 Feargal Cochrane (1997). Unionist Politics and the Politics of Unionism Since the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Cork University Press. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-85918-138-6.
- ↑ "Belfast City Council, 1993 - 2011". ark.ac.uk.
- ↑ "Local Government Elections 1985-1989: Belfast". ark.ac.uk.
- ↑ Amanda Ferguson (3-10-2013). "Former Lord Mayor's diamond day". Belfast Telegraph. Check date values in:
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Sources
- The Times Guide to the House of Commons, Times Newspapers Ltd, October 1974
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Carson
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Stratton Mills |
Member of Parliament for Belfast North February 1974–1979 |
Succeeded by John McQuade |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by John Allen |
High Sheriff of Belfast 1978–1979 |
Succeeded by Grace Bannister |
| Preceded by Billy Bell |
Lord Mayor of Belfast 1980 - 81 |
Succeeded by Grace Bannister |
| Preceded by A. H. Ferguson |
Lord Mayor of Belfast 1985 - 86 |
Succeeded by Sammy Wilson |