Esmond Thompson
Esmond Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Member of Magherafelt District Council | |
| In office 18 May 1977 – 20 May 1981 | |
| Preceded by | David Campbell |
| Succeeded by | John Linton |
| Constituency | Magherafelt Area A |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention for Mid Ulster | |
| In office 1975–1976 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1929 Maghera, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 16 December 2021 |
| Political party | Ulster Unionist Party |
Francis Henry Esmond Thompson (1929 – 16 December 2021) was a Northern Irish politician with the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).
Background
[edit]Born in Maghera, Thompson served with the Royal Navy and later the Ulster Defence Regiment.[1] He subsequently served as sub-postmaster at Maghera Post Office for 41 years, retiring in 2001.[2][3]
Thompson served as a member of the UUP executive from 1971, still being in position as of 1994.[1] He also represented the party as a member of the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention for Mid-Ulster[1] and as a member of Magherafelt District Council from 1977 to 1981.[4] In November 1975, he was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm, which he claimed he owned for his own protection.[5] In March 1977, he was shot in the arm in what was described as an assassination attempt, although he received only minor injuries.[6]
Thompson was known as a hard-line member of the UUP and had publicly criticised party colleague John Taylor during the life of the Constitutional Convention, feeling that Taylor was soft on proposals for power-sharing with the Social Democratic and Labour Party that had been proposed by William Craig.[7] In later years he was associated with the anti-Good Friday Agreement wing of the party[8] and was a strong critic of the leadership of David Trimble.[9]
Thompson died on 16 December 2021, at the age of 92.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c W. D. Flackes & Sydney Elliott, Northern Ireland A Political Directory 1968-1993, Blackstaff Press, 1994, p. 222
- ^ Thompson, Esmond (21 September 2000). "Letter: Demise of the Post Office?(Features)". The News Letter. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "New postmaster.(News)". The News Letter. 31 August 2001. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ The Local Government Elections 1973-1981: Magherafelt
- ^ Fortnight, no.116, p.11
- ^ Fortnight, no.146, p.11
- ^ Henry Patterson & Eric P. Kaufmann, Unionism and Orangeism in Northern Ireland Since 1945: The Decline of the Loyal Family, Manchester University Press, 2007, p. 182
- ^ Thompson, Esmond (23 February 2001). "Letter: Recapture Lost Dignity". The News Letter.
- ^ Thompson, Esmond (19 January 2001). "Letter: Are we near the surrender of unionism?(Features)". The News Letter. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Esmond Thompson". D Watters Funeral Services on Facebook. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2023.