Bill Henderson (Northern Ireland)

Captain Oscar William James (Bill) Henderson (1924 - 22 October 2010^[1]) OBE DL^[2] is a former British Army officer, Ulster Unionist Party politician and businessman.

Henderson served in the Irish Guards regiment of the British Army achieving the honorary rank of captain in 1949 ^[3]

Henderson's family owned the Belfast Newsletter from 1844 until 1991^[4] when he was the final member of the Henderson family to be in control between 1964 and 1991. Henderson was by his retirement, the only member of a three person Board with Executive responsibilities.^[5] Century Newspapers, the holding company, sold the title to Thompson Regional Newspapers in 1991 as the family could no longer guarantee the viability of the paper following Bill Henderson's retirement despite attempts to hire suitably qualified management^[6]

In 1953 Henderson became Ulster Unionist member of the Northern Ireland House of Commons for the safe Victoria seat. His election saw the Unionist majority against Labour slashed from 8,907 in 1949 to 1,662. In 1958 he narrowly lost the seat to David Bleakley.^[7] The same year he became a director of Ulster Television before taking up the post of managing director of the Newsletter, moving to Chairman of Century in 1964 ^[8]

As of Spring 2005 he is a trustee of the Ulster Reform Club.^[9] Between 1970 and 1981 he was President of Knock Motor Cycle & Car Club in Belfast^[10]

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