High Sheriff of Belfast
Encyclopedia
The High Sheriff of Belfast is a High Sheriff
title and position which was created in 1900 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898
, with Sir James Henderson the first holder. It is a largely ceremonial position currently held by Ian Adamson
, who took office in January 2011. The High Sheriff is theoretically the Queen's judicial representative in the city, while the Lord Lieutenant of Belfast
is the Sovereign's personal representative, however the office is now largely symbolic with few formal duties other than deputising for the Lord Mayor of Belfast
at official events.
Appointments are made on annual basis by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
, who asks the outgoing High Sheriff and Belfast City Council
to suggest the names of three people who are deemed suitable to hold the position. In recent years the Council has suggested only one candidate, who is normally a member of the Council. The High Sheriff's term of office runs from January to December, which is distinct from the term of office for the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor who take up office in May or June each year.
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
title and position which was created in 1900 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898
Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898
The Local Government Act 1898 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that established a system of local government in Ireland similar to that already created for England, Wales and Scotland by legislation in 1888 and 1889...
, with Sir James Henderson the first holder. It is a largely ceremonial position currently held by Ian Adamson
Ian Adamson
Cllr Ian Adamson OBE is a former Lord Mayor of Belfast. He is a member of the Ulster Unionist Party and is a retired medical doctor.A serving Councillor on Belfast City Council from 1989 until 2011, Adamson was Lord Mayor in 1996....
, who took office in January 2011. The High Sheriff is theoretically the Queen's judicial representative in the city, while the Lord Lieutenant of Belfast
Lord Lieutenant of Belfast
The Lord Lieutenant of Belfast is the official representative of the Queen for the 'County Borough of Belfast', Northern Ireland. The current Lord Lieutenant is Dame Mary Peters who was appointed in August 2009. The position was first created in 1900 and was held by the Marquess of Londonderry...
is the Sovereign's personal representative, however the office is now largely symbolic with few formal duties other than deputising for the Lord Mayor of Belfast
Lord Mayor of Belfast
The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairman of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the City's 51 councillors.The Lord Mayor is Niall Ó Donnghaile of Sinn Féin, while the Deputy Lord Mayor is Ruth Patterson of the Democratic Unionist Party, who were elected in May 2011.The...
at official events.
Appointments are made on annual basis by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, informally the Northern Ireland Secretary, is the principal secretary of state in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is a Minister of the Crown who is accountable to the Parliament of...
, who asks the outgoing High Sheriff and Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council is the local authority with responsibility for the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of , the largest of any district council in Northern Ireland, while also being the fourth smallest by area...
to suggest the names of three people who are deemed suitable to hold the position. In recent years the Council has suggested only one candidate, who is normally a member of the Council. The High Sheriff's term of office runs from January to December, which is distinct from the term of office for the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor who take up office in May or June each year.
20th Century
- 1900: James Henderson
- 1901: Otto JaffeOtto JaffeSir Otto Jaffe, JP was a German-born British Jewish businessman and twice elected Lord Mayor of Belfast.-Family:...
- 1902:
- 1903: Robert Anderson
- 1904: Henry Hutton
- 1905: Henry O'Neill
- 1906: William Frederick Coates
- 1907: Peter O'Connell
- 1908: John McCaughey
- 1909: Francis Curley
- 1910: George Doran
- 1911: Crawford McCullaghCrawford McCullaghSir Crawford McCullagh, 1st Baronet was a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.McCullagh was the director of several businesses in Belfast, including Maguire and Patterson, a dry goods firm , and the Classic Cinema at Castle Place, as well as owning McCullagh and Co., a silk mercers, milliners...
- 1912: James Johnston
- 1913: Frank Workman
- 1914: John Tyrrell
- 1915: John Campbell White
- 1916: Robert Dunlop
- 1917: William Tougher
- 1918: Cllr Gaffikin
- 1919: Samuel Mercier
- 1920: William George TurnerWilliam George TurnerWilliam George Turner was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Born in Ballygawley, County Tyrone, Turner became a fruiterer on the Shankill Road. He first stood for election to the Belfast Corporation in the Cliftonville ward in 1909. Although he was officially an independent Unionist, he...
- 1921: Joseph DavisonJoseph DavisonSir Joseph Davison was a prominent Northern Irish Unionist politician.He was knighted in the Honours for the Opening of the Parliament of Northern Ireland in 1921...
- 1922: Henry McKeag
- 1923: James Augustine DuffJames Augustine DuffJames Augustine Duff was a Scottish-born Northern Irish businessman and Ulster Unionist Party politician....
- 1924: Hugh McLaurin
- 1925: W. Macartney
- 1926: Oswald Jamison (Nationalist)
- 1927: Samuel Cheyne
- 1928: Julia McMordieJulia McMordieJulia McMordie CBE was an Ulster Unionist Party politician.McMordie was the daughter of shipbuilder Sir William Gray, of Hartlepool, County Durham. A Presbyterian, she was educated at Chislehurst, Kent...
- 1929: Samuel Hall-ThompsonSamuel Hall-ThompsonLt-Col. Samuel Hall-Thompson was a Unionist politician from Northern Ireland.Hall-Thompson was born in Crawfordsburn and studied at Dulwich College. His father, Rt. Hon. Robert Thompson, DL, was also an MP...
- 1930: James McKinney
- 1931: C. Lindsay
- 1932: F. J. Holland
- 1933: Richard Milligan Harcourt
- 1934: James Dunlop Williamson
- 1935: George Ruddell BlackGeorge Ruddell BlackGeorge Ruddell Black was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Black worked as a clothing manufacturer and was elected as an Ulster Unionist Party member of the Belfast Corporation. In 1942, he was elected as the Lord Mayor of Belfast, but he died after a few months in office.-References:...
- 1936: Thomas Edward McConnellThomas Edward McConnellThomas Edward McConnell was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.McConnell studied at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution before becoming the managing director of a horse and cattle sales firm. He was elected to the Belfast Corporation as a councillor and then an alderman, for the...
- 1937: Thomas Loftus ColeThomas Loftus ColeThomas Loftus Cole was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Cole studied at the Sullivan Upper School in Holywood before qualifying as a pharmacist. Despite this, he worked as a property developer, and was elected to Lurgan Urban District Council in 1911, serving until 1917...
? - 1938: Thomas Loftus ColeThomas Loftus ColeThomas Loftus Cole was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Cole studied at the Sullivan Upper School in Holywood before qualifying as a pharmacist. Despite this, he worked as a property developer, and was elected to Lurgan Urban District Council in 1911, serving until 1917...
- 1939: Samuel Boyd Thompson
- 1940: William Dowling
- 1941: Percival BrownPercival BrownWilliam Percival Brown was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Brown studied at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and worked as an estate agent. He was elected as an Ulster Unionist Party member of the Belfast Corporation, and served as Lord Mayor of Belfast from 1953 to...
- 1942: Tommy HendersonTommy HendersonThomas Gibson Henderson was an Ulster independent Unionist politician. He served in the House of Commons of Northern Ireland from 1925 to 1953 in vigorous opposition to the Unionist governments on all issues other than the partition of Ireland, and is famous for having at one stage spoken for...
- 1943: Frederick William Kennedy
- 1944: Alfred Hinds
- 1945: Robert Brown Alexander
- 1946: Cecil McKeeCecil McKeeWilliam Cecil McKee was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Born in Newtownards, McKee took an engineering apprenticeship before joining the family estate agency. He was elected to the Belfast Corporation for the Ulster Unionist Party in 1934, and in 1938 took a commission in the...
- 1947: W. E. G. Johnston
- 1948: James Henry Norritt
- 1949: Robert HarcourtRobert HarcourtSir Robert John Rolston Harcourt, JP was a Northern Irish politician.Robert Harcourt became the director of F. E. Harcourt and Company coal merchants. He was High Sheriff of Belfast in 1949, and later in the year unsuccessfully stood as the Ulster Unionist Party candidate for South Down...
- 1950: Stuart Knox Henry
- 1951: William Harpur
- 1952: Andrew Scott
- 1953: Robert Pierce
- 1954: William Frederick NeillWilliam Frederick NeillWilliam Frederick Neill was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Neill studied at Belfast Model School before becoming an estate agent. He was elected as an Ulster Unionist Party alderman on the Belfast Corporation in 1938, and served as Lord Mayor of Belfast from 1946 to 1949...
- 1955?: Robert Kinahan
- 1956: Walter H. Cooper
- 1957: Herbert Jefferson
- 1958: Florence Elizabeth Breakie
- 1959: Martin Kelso WallaceMartin Kelso WallaceMartin Wallace was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Wallace worked as a company director and was elected as an Ulster Unionist Party member of the Belfast Corporation. He was elected as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1961 and served for two years.-References:...
- 1960: William Duncan GeddisWilliam Duncan GeddisWilliam Duncan Geddis was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Geddis studied at Skerries College in Belfast before becoming a clothing manufacturer. He was elected to the Belfast Corporation for the Ulster Unionist Party and served as Lord Mayor of Belfast from 1966 to 1969.-References:...
- 1961: William JenkinsWilliam Jenkins (Northern Ireland politician)William Jenkins was an unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Jenkins studied at the Belfast College of Technology then worked in Bombay from 1931 to 1956 as the director of a tea company. He then returned to Northern Ireland, where he held numerous directorships, but also found time to sit on...
- 1962: William John McCracken
- 1963: Joseph Foster CairnsJoseph Foster CairnsJoseph Foster Cairns is a former unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Cairns was the managing director of a furniture retailer, and chairman of a development company. He was elected to the Belfast Corporation for the Ulster Unionist Party, and served as Lord Mayor of Belfast from 1969–1971...
- 1964:
- 1965: John Abbott Lewis
- 1966: Matthew Thomas Orr
- 1967: Thomas Rea
- 1968: Hugh Robert Brown
- 1969: Myles HumphreysMyles HumphreysSir Myles Humphreys, JP, DL was a Northern Irish Ulster Unionist Party politician and activist, and an engineer and businessman....
- 1970: John William KennedyJohn William KennedyJohn William Kennedy was an Ulster Unionist member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland. He represented Belfast Cromac from 1962-1973....
- 1971: Francis Wills Watson
- 1972: Walter Shannon
- 1973–1974: Alfred Walker Shaw
- 1975: James Stewart
- 1976: William Cecil Corry
- 1977: John Allen
- 1978: John CarsonJohn Carson-People:*Fiddlin' John Carson, American musician*Johnny Carson, American television presenter*John David Carson, American actor*John Carson , English actor*Jack Carson, Canadian-born, U.S...
- 1979: Grace BannisterGrace BannisterGrace Bannister, OBE, was a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Bannister was elected to Belfast Corporation in 1965, representing the Ulster Unionist Party . She stood as an independent Unionist in Belfast South at the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973, after failing to secure an...
- 1980: Michael Browne
- 1981: Muriel Pritchard
- 1982: Alfie Ferguson
- 1983: Donnell DeenyDonnell DeenySir Donnell Justin Patrick Deeny, QC, styled as The Hon Mr Justice Deeny is Chancery Judge in the High Court of Northern Ireland.-Background:...
- 1984: Pauline Whitley
- 1985: Andrew Cairns
- 1985–1986: Herbert DittyHerbert DittyHerbert Ditty was a lifelong Ulster Unionist politician, representing the Shankill Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland.Ditty was a founding member of the Ulster Protestant Action executive in the 1950s....
- 1987–1989: Post vacant
- 1990: Jim KirkpatrickJim KirkpatrickJim Kirkpatrick is a Unionist politician who has represented the Ulster Unionist Party three times and the Democratic Unionist Party twice. He sat in the 1982 Assembly and is currently a Belfast City councillor for the UUP....
- 1991: Joe Coggle
- 1992: Thomas Patton
- 1993: J. Walker
- 1994: Mary Margaret Crooks
- 1995: John Parkes
- 1995: Joe Coggle
- 1996: Steve McBrideSteve McBride (politician)-Career:McBride is active in the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland . He became the Chairman of APNI in the 1990s, and in 1996 was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum, representing Belfast South. At the 1997 general election, McBride took 12.9% of the vote and fourth place in the Westminster seat...
- 1997: Nelson McCauslandNelson McCauslandNelson McCausland, MLA is a unionist politician from Northern Ireland. He is the current Minister for Social Development in the Northern Irish Government.-Education:...
- 1998: Jim Clarke
- 1999: Robin NewtonRobin NewtonRobin Newton is a Unionist politician for the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland. He is an MLA for East Belfast. Newton was sworn in as a Junior Minister within the Office of First and deputy First Minister on 1 July 2009...
21st Century
- 2000: Tom Campbell
- 2001: Alan Crowe
- 2002: Wallace Browne
- 2003: Margaret Clarke
- 2004: Ruth Patterson
- 2005: David Browne
- 2006: William Humphrey
- 2007: Jim KirkpatrickJim KirkpatrickJim Kirkpatrick is a Unionist politician who has represented the Ulster Unionist Party three times and the Democratic Unionist Party twice. He sat in the 1982 Assembly and is currently a Belfast City councillor for the UUP....
- 2008: Margaret McKenzie
- 2009: Frank McCoubreyFrank McCoubreyFrank McCoubrey is a Unionist politician and loyalist in Northern Ireland, as well as a community activist and researcher. He is a leading member of the Ulster Political Research Group and a member of Belfast City Council, representing the Court area...
- 2010: Christopher Stalford
- 2011: Ian AdamsonIan AdamsonCllr Ian Adamson OBE is a former Lord Mayor of Belfast. He is a member of the Ulster Unionist Party and is a retired medical doctor.A serving Councillor on Belfast City Council from 1989 until 2011, Adamson was Lord Mayor in 1996....