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David Brewster LL.B., (1964 – 20 January 2021) was a Northern Irish solicitor, unionist politician, community activist and historian from Limavady, County Londonderry.

Background

Brewster came to prominence in the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) as a close associate of David Trimble. Unenthusiastic about Jim Molyneaux's leadership of the party, Brewster backed Trimble's successful candidacy in the September 1995 leadership election. Brewster was already the Secretary of the East Londonderry Association of the party, and Trimble assisted him in winning election as one of the party's honorary secretaries in 1996. Brewster claimed that Trimble also offered to help him take over as the Member of Parliament for East Londonderry from William Ross, a leading figure in the UUP but a critic of Trimble. However, Brewster did not want the role, and instead won a seat in the equivalent constituency on the Northern Ireland Forum. He worked with Peter King and Dean Godson on the UUP's "Strand I" team at the talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement.

Brewster was also active in the Orange Order and, like most UUP members who were prominent Orangemen, he became critical of Trimble's leadership, and opposed the Good Friday Agreement. He joined the oppositionist Union First Group, and left the party in 2003 to join the rival Democratic Unionist Party.

Outside politics, Brewster worked as a solicitor and had his own practice in his hometown of Limavady and served as president of the Roe Valley Chamber of Commerce from 2013-2016. He was also vice chairman of Limavady United Football Club and President of the William F. Massey Foundation.

References

1. "Funeral for much-admired lawyer David Brewster 'would seen town at a standstill in normal times'". www.newsletter.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
2. "Tributes paid to popular Limavady solicitor David Brewster who died suddenly". belfasttelegraph. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
3. Graham Walker, A History of the Ulster Unionist Party, p.250
4. ^ Dean Godson, Himself Alone: David Trimble and the Ordeal of Unionism, p.184
5. "East Londonderry Archived 11 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine", Northern Ireland Elections
6. Dean Godson, Himself Alone: David Trimble and the Ordeal of Unionism, p.298
7. Henry Patterson and Eric P. Kaufmann, Unionism and Orangeism in Northern Ireland Since 1945, p.233
8. David R. Brewster, http://www.drbrewster.co.uk/ Archived 9 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine
9. George Jones and David Sharrock, "QCs in Ulster no longer pledge to serve Queen Archived 8 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine", The Daily Telegraph, 28 June 2000
10. "David Brewster". Twitter. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2016.

• 1964 births
• 2021 deaths
• Members of the Northern Ireland Forum
• Ulster Unionist Party politicians