Sir William Coates, 1st Baronet

Irish stockbroker and politician

Sir William CoatesBt DL JP
Photographed as Lord Mayor of Belfast, 7 January 1921

Lord Mayor of Belfast
In office 1929–1931
Preceded by	William George Turner
Succeeded by	Crawford McCullagh
In office 1920–1923
Preceded by	John C. White
Succeeded by	William George Turner
High Sheriff of Belfast
In office 1906–1907
Preceded by	Henry O'Neill
Succeeded by	Peter O'Connell

Personal details
Born	William Frederick Coates 1866 Belfast, Ireland
Died	19 January 1932(1932-01-19) (aged 65–66)
Spouse	Elsie Millicent Gregory
Education	Royal Belfast Academical Institution
Occupation	Stockbroker

Sir William Frederick Coates, 1st Baronet, DL, JP (1866 – 19 January 1932) was an Irish stockbroker and politician in Belfast.

Early life

Coates was born in Belfast in 1866. He studied at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. He was the son of David Lindsay Coates and Sara (née Mulligan) Coates.

Career

He initially entered the linen trade, but became a stockbroker in 1887, building up an extensive business known as William F. Coates & Co, stockbrokers. In 1902 he was elected to Belfast Corporation. He was chairman of the finance committee from 1917 and was elected Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1920 and then re-elected twice, serving until 1923.

He hosted the King and Queen when they visited Belfast to open the Parliament of Northern Ireland (of which he was also a Senator, both ex officio as Lord Mayor and as an elected member 1924-1929) in July 1921. For hosting the monarchs, and guiding Belfast past the sectarian conflict that marked the creation of Northern Ireland in the early 1920s, Coates was created a Baronet of Haypark. He served as Lord Mayor again from 1929 to 1931.

He served as High Sheriff of Belfast (1906–1907) and as High Sheriff of Antrim (1931–1932).

Personal life

On 27 November 1907, Coates married Elsie Millicent Gregory, daughter of Colonel Frederick William Gregory. Together, they were the parents of:

Jean Ann Dorothy Coates, who married Thomas Roland Lecky Sinclair in 1938.
Sir Frederick Gregory Lindsay Coates, 2nd Baronet (1916–1994), who was a Brigadier in the Royal Tank Regiment. He married Joan Nugent Spinks, daughter of Major-General Sir Charlton Watson Spinks.

Coates died on 19 January 1932 and was succeeded by his son Frederick. Upon his son's death in 1994, Sir William's grandson, David Frederick Charlton Coates (b. 1948), became the 3rd Baronet.

Arms

Coat of arms of Sir William Coates, 1st Baronet
Notes Granted 20 June 1923 by Sir Nevile Rodwell Wilkinson, Ulster King of Arms. Crest On a wreath of the colours a cock statant wings closed Gules. Escutcheon Gules a chevron cotised Argent on a chief Ermine two bells Or on an escutcheon of pretence quarterly 1st & 4th Argent a fir tree growing out of a mount in base Vert surmounted by a sword in bend supporting an Imperial crown in the dexter canton Proper and in chief and base a lion's head erased Azure 2nd & 3rd Gules three bears' heads couped Argent muzzled Sable. Motto Watchful And Bold

References

John F. Harbinson, The Ulster Unionist Party, 1882-1973, p.208
^ Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage. Kelly's Directories. 2000. pp. 241–242. ISBN 9780333545775. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
"Members of the Northern Ireland Senate, 1921-72". www.ark.ac.uk.
"No. 32387". The London Gazette. 12 July 1921. p. 5553.
"No. 497". The Belfast Gazette. 2 January 1931. p. 2.
Obituary, The Times, 20 January 1932
"Grants and Confirmations of Arms Volume M". National Library of Ireland. p. 94. Retrieved 23 August 2022.

Civic offices
Preceded byHenry O'Neill	High Sheriff of Belfast 1906 – 1907	Succeeded byPeter O'Connell
Preceded byJohn C. White	Lord Mayor of Belfast 1920 – 1923	Succeeded byWilliam George Turner
Preceded byWilliam George Turner	Lord Mayor of Belfast 1929 – 1931	Succeeded byCrawford McCullagh
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baronet (of Haypark) 1921–1932	Succeeded byFrederick Coates

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