Harry Midgley

Henry Cassidy Midgley, PC (NI), known as Harry Midgley (1893 – 29 April 1957) was a prominent politician in Northern Ireland. Born to a unionist family in Belfast, he worked in the textile industry before joining the Royal Engineers during World War I.

In 1919, Midgley joined the Belfast Labour Party, and in 1920 he was elected to Belfast City Council. At the time of the Northern Ireland general election, 1921, the first ever election to Northern Ireland's embryonic parliament, the "principal anxiety" of James Craig was that Labour in Belfast would attract the loyalist vote. When Labour candidates booked the Ulster Hall for a final rally, it was disrupted by Loyalist shipyard workers, who then telegraphed Craig to inform him that they had "captured the Ulster Hall from Bolsheviks Baird, Midgley and Hanna". Craig responded: "...Well done big and wee yards". Midgley was indeed defeated in his attempt to win the Belfast East seat.

In the 1923 UK general election, Midgley won 47% of the vote, the best result for the Labour movement in Northern Ireland until the Belfast West by-election, 1943. His vote dropped slightly in the 1924 UK general election, but held his council seat until 1943, becoming an Alderman in 1929.

In the Northern Ireland general election, 1933, Midgley was elected for Belfast Dock, by now representing the Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP) which the Belfast Labour Party had formed. He also joined the board of Linfield F.C.. Following his election, he became the party leader.

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