Sammy Wilson MP |
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Wilson in June 2012
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Minister of Finance and Personnel | |
In office 1 July 2009 – 29 July 2013 |
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Leader | Peter Robinson |
Preceded by | Nigel Dodds |
Succeeded by | Simon Hamilton |
Minister of the Environment | |
In office 9 June 2008 – 1 July 2009 |
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Leader | Peter Robinson |
Preceded by | Arlene Foster |
Succeeded by | Edwin Poots |
Member of Parliament for East Antrim |
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Assumed office 5 May 2005 |
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Preceded by | Roy Beggs |
Majority | 5,795 (17.3%) |
Member of the Legislative Assembly for East Antrim |
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In office 26 November 2003 – 11 August 2015 |
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Preceded by | Roger Hutchinson |
Succeeded by | Gordon Lyons |
Member of the Legislative Assembly for East Belfast |
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In office 25 June 1998 – 26 November 2003 |
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Preceded by | Constituency created |
Succeeded by | Robin Newton |
31st and 45th Lord Mayor of Belfast | |
In office 2000–2001 |
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Preceded by | Bob Stoker |
Succeeded by | Jim Rodgers |
In office 1986–1987 |
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Preceded by | John Carson |
Succeeded by | J. J. Dixon Gilmore |
Councillor for Belfast City Council | |
In office 1981–2010 |
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DEA | Pottinger |
Personal details | |
Born |
Belfast, Northern Ireland |
4 April 1953
Nationality | British |
Political party | Democratic Unionist |
Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
Website | Official webpage |
Samuel Wilson (born 4 April 1953) is a British politician from Northern Ireland who is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Member of Parliament (MP) for East Antrim. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast East from 1998 until 2003 and for East Antrim from 2003 until 2015. He served as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1986 – 1987 and again from June 2000 to June 2001, the first person from the DUP to hold the office. He has also served as Minister of Finance and Personnel and Minister of the Environment in the Northern Ireland Executive.
Wilson was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the son of Alexander Wilson, pastor of Bangor Elim Pentecostal Church. Both of his parents died of Alzheimers. He was educated at Methodist College Belfast, and then went on study Economics and Politics at both Queen's University, Belfast and Stranmillis Teaching College. Wilson's first job was a teaching post at Grosvenor Grammar School. He later became the Head of Economics at the school, and also served as Assistant Chief Examiner for A-level Economics for the CCEA exam board in Northern Ireland.
In May 1996, the Sunday World newspaper published a series of candid holiday photographs showing Wilson and his girlfriend naked. Wilson subsequently sued the paper for damages, which were settled out of court. After the incident, Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin addressed the Northern Ireland Assembly by saying "It is also very good to come across someone like Mr Sammy Wilson, whom I have never met, and it is great to see him today with his clothes on."