Political Leaders: Northern Ireland

Leaders of Northern Ireland
(part of the United Kingdom)

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Look for biographies of the leaders (in Spanish) at CIDOB website.

Also visit the pages covering the political leadership of Great Britain and Ireland (Eire).

Parties: UUP: Ulster Unionist Party (aka Official Unionist Party, OUP); SDLP: Social Democratic and Labour Party; DUP: Democratic Unionist Party (aka Ulster Democratic Unionist Party, UDUP); SF: Sinn Féin ("We Ourselves")

Heads of the Executive

Prime Ministers
Basil Stanlake Brooke    1 May 1943 - 26 Mar 1963 (+1973)  UUP
Terence O'Neill         26 Mar 1963 -  3 May 1969 (+1990)  UUP 
James Chichester-Clark   3 May 1969 - 23 Mar 1971 (+2002)  UUP
Brian Faulkner          23 Mar 1971 - 30 Mar 1972 (+1977)  UUP

-->Government suspended and direct British rule imposed

Chief of the 'Power-Sharing' Executive
Brian Faulkner           1 Jan 1974 - 28 May 1974 (+1977)  UUP

First Ministers 
David Trimble            1 Jul 1998 -  1 Jul 2001          UUP
Reg Empey                1 Jul 2001 - 18 Oct 2001          UUP (acting)
David Trimble            6 Nov 2001 - 14 Oct 2002          UUP
Ian Paisley              8 May 2007 -  5 Jun 2008          DUP 
Peter Robinson           5 Jun 2008 -                      DUP

D. Trimble was First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1 Jul 1998 and of the Executive Committee of Ministers from 2 Dec 1999. Since its inauguration, the autonomy has been suspended four times: 11 Feb-30 May 2000, 10-11 Aug 2001, 22-23 Sep 2001 and lately from 14 Oct 2002 to 8 May 2007.

British Governors

James Albert Hamilton
 (Duke of Abercorn)        12 Dec 1922 -  7 Sep 1945 (+1953)
William Spencer Gower 
 (Earl Granville)           7 Sep 1945 -  1 Dec 1952 (+1953)
John de Vere Loder 
 (Baron Wakehurst)          3 Dec 1952 -  1 Dec 1964 (+1970)
John Maxwell Erskine 
 (Baron Erskine of Rerrick) 3 Dec 1964 -  2 Dec 1968 (+1980)
Ralph Francis Grey 
 (Baron Grey of Naunton)    3 Dec 1968 - 18 Jul 1973 (+1999)

British Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland

William Whitelaw       1972-1973 (+1999) 
Francis Pym            1973-1974 (+2008)        
Merlyn Rees            1974-1976 (+2006) 
Roy Mason              1976-1979        
Humphrey Atkins        1979-1981
James Prior            1981-1984
Douglas Hurd           1984-1985         
Tom King               1985-1989         
Peter Brooke           1989-1992
Patrick Mayhew         1992-1997         
Mo Mowlan              1997-1999 (+2005) 
Peter Mandelson        1999-2001         
John Reid              2001-2002         
Paul Murphy            2002-2005         
Peter Hain             2005-2007   
Shaun Woodward         2007-

Leaders of DUP

Acting Chairman
Desmond Boal           1971      

Leader
Ian Paisley            1971-2008
Peter Robinson         2008-

Presidents of SF

Margaret Buckley       1937-1950 (+1962)
Pádraig Mac Lógáin     1950-1953 (+1964)
Tomás Ó Dubhghaill     1953-1954
Pádraig Mac Lógáin     1954-1962 (+1964)
Tomás Mac Giolla       1962-1970         
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh      1970-1983        
Gerard (Gerry) Adams   1983-

Sinn Féin, mirroring the developments occurred in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) some days before, split on 11 Jan 1970 in two parties, the Provisional Sinn Féin and an Official Sinn Féin. Subsequently, the Provisional Sinn Féin became the dominant party. The Official Sinn Féin under the leadership of Tomás MacGiolla changed its name to Sinn Féin-The Workers’ Party in 1977 and simply to Workers’ Party in 1982.

Leaders of UUP

John Miller Andrews    1940-1946 (+1956)
Basil Stanlake Brooke  1946-1963 (+1973)
Terence O'Neill        1963-1969 (+1990) 
James Chichester-Clark 1969-1971 (+2002) 
Brian Faulkner         1971-1974 (+1977) 
Harry West             1974-1979 (+2004) 
James Molyneaux        1979-1995         
David Trimble          1995-2005         
Reg Empey              2005-

Leaders of SDLP

Leaders                     
Gerry Fitt             1970-1979 (+2005) 
John Hume              1979-2001 	 
Mark Durkan            2001-  	         

Chairmen
Eddie McGrady          1971-1973         
Denis Haughey          1973-1978         
Brid Rodgers           1978-1980         
Sean Farren            1980-1984         
Alban Maginness        1984-1990         
Mark Durkan            1990-1995         
Jonathan Stephenson    1995-1998
Alban Maginness        1998-2000         
Alex Attwood           2000-

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