Charles Boucher Poots often known as Charlie Poots, is a former unionist politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

.

Poots joined Ian Paisley

Ian Paisley

Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...

's Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster

Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster

The Free Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination founded by the Rev. Ian Paisley in 1951. Most of its members live in Northern Ireland...

, acting as Treasurer of the Hillsborough

Hillsborough, County Down

Hillsborough is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated from the city of Belfast. It is within the Lisburn City Council area....

 church. He also joined the Protestant Unionist Party

Protestant Unionist Party

The Protestant Unionist Party was a unionist political party operating in Northern Ireland from 1966 to 1971. It was set up by Ian Paisley, and was the forerunner of the modern Democratic Unionist Party and emerged from the Ulster Protestant Action movement.The UPA had two councillors elected,...

 (PUP), standing unsuccessfully for the group in Iveagh

Iveagh (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

Iveagh was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Iveagh was a county constituency comprising part of northern County Down, south west of Belfast. It was created when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout Northern Ireland...

 at the Northern Ireland general election, 1969

Northern Ireland general election, 1969

-References:*...

. The PUP soon reformed as the Democratic Unionist Party

Democratic Unionist Party

The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...

 (DUP), and Poots was elected to Lisburn Borough Council at the 1973 local elections

Northern Ireland local elections, 1973

Local government in Northern Ireland was reorganised in 1973 by the Local Government Act 1971 and the Local Government Act 1972...

. He also won a seat in North Down

North Down (Assembly constituency)

North Down is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973...

 at the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973

Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973

-Seats summary:-Source:* http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/fa73.htm...

. Contemporary reports claim that he started a fist-fight at the Assembly in December, after throwing a punch at Basil McIvor

Basil McIvor

William Basil McIvor OBE PC was an Ulster Unionist politician, barrister and pioneer of integrated education.-Early life and education:...

 and he was suspended in 1974 for one day after calling Brian Faulkner

Brian Faulkner

Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, PC was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972...

 a "lying tramp".

Poots held his North Down seat on the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention

Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention

The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention was an elected body set up in 1975 by the UK Labour government of Harold Wilson as an attempt to deal with constitutional issues surrounding the status of Northern Ireland....

 in 1975, but he lost it at the 1982 Assembly election. In 1976, shots were fired at his car while driving through the predominantly Irish nationalist Markets area of Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

. He held his Lisburn council seat until 1997

Northern Ireland local elections, 1997

Elections for local government were held in Northern Ireland on 21 May 1997, shortly after the 1997 general election across the entire United Kingdom.-Overall:-Belfast:-References:...

, serving as Deputy Mayor in 1991/2. His son, Edwin Poots

Edwin Poots

Alderman Edwin Poots MLA is a Northern Irish politician and a Democratic Unionist Party Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lagan Valley. He is one of three DUP MLAs for Lagan Valley.-Biography:...

, later became a DUP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly

Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...

.