John Carson CBE (born 31 July 1933)[1] is a former Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist Party politician.

Career

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.[2] At the February 1974 general election, he was elected as a member of the United Ulster Unionist Coalition as the Member of Parliament for Belfast North. At the October 1974 general election, Carson was re-elected with a substantial increase in his majority.

However, he was de-selected in 1979, after voting in favour of the Labour government in the crucial vote of confidence, which they lost.[3] In that year's general election, Belfast North was gained by Johnny McQuade of the Democratic Unionist Party, with Cecil Walker coming second for the UUP.[4]

Despite this, Carson retained his popularity, topping the local government poll in the electoral area 'H',[2] which included over half of the parliamentary seat. He also topped the poll in North Belfast at the 1982 Assembly elections.[3]

Carson was twice Lord Mayor of Belfast first 1980-81 and second from 1985 to 1986, 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.[5] For this, he was threatened with expulsion from the UUP, which never happened.[5]

Carson remained a member of Belfast City Council until 1997, when he lost his seat after 24 consecutive years on the council.[2][6][7]

Personal life

Carson married Martha in 1953 and had two daughters. They celebrated their Diamond Anniversary in 2013.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "John Carson". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Local Government Elections 1973 - 1981: Belfast". ark.ac.uk.
  3. 1 2 "North Belfast 1973-82". ark.ac.uk.
  4. ↑ "North Belfast 1973-82". www.ark.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  5. 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.
  6. ↑ "Belfast City Council, 1993 - 2011". ark.ac.uk.
  7. ↑ "Local Government Elections 1985-1989: Belfast". ark.ac.uk.
  8. ↑ Amanda Ferguson (3 October 2013). "Former Lord Mayor's diamond day". Belfast Telegraph.

Sources


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