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John Carson CBE (born 31 July 1933) is a former Northern Irish businessman and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) 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. 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. 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.

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

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. For this, he was threatened with expulsion from the UUP, which never happened.

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

Personal life

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

References

1. "John Carson". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
2. ^ "Local Government Elections 1973 - 1981: Belfast". ark.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
3. ^ "North Belfast 1973-82". ark.ac.uk.
4. "North Belfast 1973-82". www.ark.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
5. ^ 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. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
7. "Local Government Elections 1985-1989: Belfast". ark.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
8. Amanda Ferguson (3 October 2013). "Former Lord Mayor's diamond day". Belfast Telegraph.

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

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