Joseph Burns was an Ulster Unionist

Ulster Unionist Party

The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...

 member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland

Parliament of Northern Ireland

The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...

. He represented North Londonderry

North Londonderry (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

North Londonderry was a county constituency comprising the southern part of County Londonderry. It was created in 1929, when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout Northern Ireland...

 from 1960-1973.

Educated at Rainey Endowed School

Rainey Endowed School

Rainey Endowed School,known colloquially as "The Rainey", is a voluntary grammar school in Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The school was founded in 1707 and currently has an enrolment of approximately 750 pupils. The school borders three counties and draws its students from each...

, Magherafelt

Magherafelt

Magherafelt is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,372 people recorded in the 2001 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of County Londonderry and is the social, economic and political hub of the area...

, County Londonderry

County Londonderry

The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...

 and New York University

New York University

New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

, he was an auctioneer and valuer, a farmer in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and a stockbroker. In 1920, he joined the Ulster Special Constabulary

Ulster Special Constabulary

The Ulster Special Constabulary was a reserve police force in Northern Ireland. It was set up in October 1920, shortly before the founding of Northern Ireland. It was an armed corps, organised partially on military lines and called out in times of emergency, such as war or insurgency...

He served as Assistant Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Finance

Minister of Finance (Northern Ireland)

The Minister of Finance was a member of the Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland in the Parliament of Northern Ireland which governed Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1972...

 and Assistant Whip

Ulster Unionist Chief Whip

This is a list of people who served as Chief Whip of the Ulster Unionist Party in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Parliament of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Assembly.-Parliament of the United Kingdom:...

 from 1968 until 1969, when he resigned his post. He was chairman of the '66 Committee of Unionist backbenchers from 1970. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Social Services from 1971 until the progation of the Parliament in 1972. He was Chairman of the United Unionist Action Council in 1977.

Sources

• Biographies of Members of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
• The Government of Northern Ireland