Gregory Campbell (politician)

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For other persons named Gregory Campbell, see Gregory Campbell (disambiguation).

Gregory Campbell MP MLA

Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure
Incumbent
Assumed office 9th June 2008
Preceded by	Edwin Poots
Constituency	East Londonderry (MP & MLA)

Born	February 15, 1953 (1953-02-15) (age 55) Derry, Northern Ireland
Political party	Democratic Unionist Party
Website	http://www.dup.org.uk/GregoryCampbell.asp

Gregory Lloyd Campbell (born February 15, 1953 in Derry, Northern Ireland) is a unionist politician, and the Democratic Unionist Party member of the British parliament for East Londonderry in Northern Ireland .

Campbell was raised in Derry's Waterside area and was educated at the city's technical college and the University of Ulster (Magee College site). He joined the DUP in the 1970s and was first elected to Londonderry City Council in 1981. Campbell briefly led the local DUP members out of the Council in 1984 when the council changed its name to Derry City Council, although he returned to his seat not long after and still holds it.

He was chosen to contest the Foyle constituency in the general election of 1983. He contested the same seat again in the general elections of 1987 and 1992, although each time he finished second behind Social Democratic and Labour Party leader John Hume.

Given that Foyle had a predominantly nationalist population, the increasingly high profile Campbell was transferred to the more winnable East Londonderry seat, where he ran unsuccessfully in 1997. Campbell won the seat at his second attempt in the 2001 general election, gaining a majority of 1,901 over sitting MP William Ross of the Ulster Unionist Party. He was re-elected in the 2005 general election, this time securing an increased majority of 7,498 over the new UUP candidate David McClarty. He is also a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, topping the Londonderry East poll (from which 6 members are elected) in the 1998 election, 2003 and again in March 2007. He was appointed Minister of Regional Development in the Northern Ireland Executive in July 2000. On June 9 2008, Campbell took over the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, replacing Edwin Poots, following a reshuffle of the DUP's Ministerial team by newly-appointed First Minister Peter Robinson.