James Chichester-Clark

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Rt Hon The Lord Moyola Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland
Rank	5th Prime Minister
Term of Office	May 1, 1969 - March 23, 1971
Predecessor	Terence O'Neill
Successor	Brian Faulkner
Date of Birth	February 12, 1923
Date of Death	May 17, 2002
Political Party	Ulster Unionist Party
Profession	Army officer

James Dawson Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola, PC, DL (February 12, 1923–May 17, 2002) was the fifth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.

James Dawson Clark was born on February 12, 1923, at the family home, Moyola Park, Castledawson, County Londonderry. He was the eldest of three children of James and Marion Clark; his brother was Robin Chichester-Clark and his sister, Penelope Hobhouse, the garden writer and historian. In 1924 James Clark changed the family name to Chichester-Clark by deed poll, thus preventing the old ascendancy name Chichester (his wife's maiden name) from dying out.

Educated at Eton College, he fought with the Irish Guards during the Second World War, during which he was wounded in action.

After the War he continued in the Army, serving from 1947 to 1950 in Canada as ADC to the Governor General, Lord Alexander of Tunis. He continued in the Army until the late 1950s during which time he married a young widow, Moyra Haughton (née Morris). He had two daughters and one step-son. He returned to Castledawson to farm.

In 1960 in an uncontested by-election he took over the South Londonderry seat in the Northern Ireland Parliament held by his aunt, Dame Dehra Parker, since 1932.

His political appointments were:

Assistant Whip 1963
Chief Whip 1963-67
Leader of the House 1966-67
Minister of Agriculture 1967-69
Prime Minister 1969-71

He resigned in 1971 and was created a life peer later that year as Baron Moyola, of Castledawson in the County of Londonderry. He endorsed the Belfast Agreement in the 1998 referendum. Lord Moyola died on May 17, 2002 at the age of 79, the last surviving Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.

[edit] See also

List of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Lords

[edit] Reading

Clive Scoular, 'James Chichester-Clark: Prime Minister of Northern Ireland', 2000
Telegraph obituary

Political offices
Preceded by William Kennedy Fitzsimmons	Assistant Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Finance (Assistant Chief Whip) Mar 1963–Apr 1963	Succeeded by Isaac George Hawthorne
Preceded by William Craig	Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Finance (Chief Whip) 1963–1966	Succeeded by Roy Hamilton Bradford
Preceded by Newly Created Office	Leader of the House of Commons 1966–1967	Succeeded by Brian McConnell
Preceded by Harry West	Minister of Agriculture 1967–1969	Succeeded by Phelim Robert Hugh O'Neill
Preceded by Terence O'Neill	Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party 1969–1971	Succeeded by Brian Faulkner
Preceded by Terence O'Neill	Prime Minister of Northern Ireland 1969–1971	Succeeded by Brian Faulkner
Preceded by Robert Wilson Porter	Minister of Home Affairs 1970–1971	Succeeded by Brian Faulkner
Parliament of Northern Ireland
Preceded by Dehra Parker	Member of Parliament for South Londonderry 1960 - 1972	Succeeded by Position prorogued