Richard Ferguson QC, SC (22 August 1935–26 July 2009)[1] was a barrister and politician from Northern Ireland.
Born in Derrygonnelly, County Fermanagh, the son of a sergeant in the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Ferguson attended Rainey Endowed School and Methodist College. He later studied Law at Trinity College, Dublin and Queen's University, Belfast.[1] He qualified to practice as a barrister in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and from 1972, in England.[2]
In 1968, Ferguson was elected to the Parliament of Northern Ireland for the Ulster Unionist Party, representing South Antrim.[2] He was considered a liberal Unionist and was a supporter of the Prime Minister Terence O'Neill. [3] Before his election, he had called for local government reform including a one man, one vote system.[4]
Ferguson held his seat at the 1969 general election. In August, he resigned from the Orange Order, and was subsequently subject to intimidation.[5] He stood down from Parliament in 1970 alongside O'Neill, citing ill health.[2] In April, his house was firebombed in an attack blamed on loyalists.[5]
In 1971, Ferguson joined the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland[2] but did not continue in an active political role.[1] Instead, he focused on law, becoming a Queen's Counsel (QC) in Northern Ireland in 1973 and chairing the Northern Ireland Mental Health Review Tribunal from 1973 until 1984. He departed Northern Ireland in 1983 and became a Senior Counsel, before moving to London in 1986 where he became a QC in England.[1] From 1993 until 1995, he served as the Chair of the Criminal Bar Association.[2]
He was defence counsel in many high-profile cases, such as those of mass-murderers Rosemary West and Patrick Magee, and successfully defended two British soldiers accused of war crimes in Iraq.[1] By 2003, he was the top-earning criminal defence barrister, with more than £800,000 in that year.[1]
Ferguson died after heart surgery on July 26, 2009, aged 73. He is survived by his second wife, Roma (née Whelan), a solicitor, and their son; and by his first wife, Janet (née Magowan), and their four children.
| Parliament of Northern Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Brian McConnell |
Member of Parliament for South Antrim 1968 - 1970 |
Succeeded by William Beattie |