William Craig (Northern Ireland politician)
| William Craig | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of Parliament for Belfast East |
|
|
In office 28 February 1974 – 3 May 1979 |
|
| Preceded by | Stanley McMaster |
| Succeeded by | Peter Robinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
2 December 1924 Cookstown, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 25 April 2011 (aged 86) Bangor, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party |
Ulster Vanguard Ulster Unionist |
| Spouse(s) | Doris Hilgendorff (1960–2011) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Queen's University, Belfast |
| Profession | Solicitor |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War Two |
William "Bill" Craig (2 December 1924 – 25 April 2011) was a Northern Irish politician best known for forming the Unionist Vanguard movement.
From Cookstown, County Tyrone, Craig was educated at Royal School Dungannon, Larne Grammar School and Queen's University Belfast.
After serving in the Royal Air Force (as a Lancaster bomber rear gunner) during World War II, he became a solicitor.
He was active in the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and led the Ulster Young Unionist Council. He was elected to the Stormont Parliament in a by-election in 1960 for Larne, and became a Minister in 1963. He held several portfolios under Terence O'Neill, eventually as Minister for Home Affairs. His most notable action while in this office was to ban the march of Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association on 5 October 1968. He also accused the civil rights movement of being a political front for the IRA.
On 11 December 1968, O'Neill dismissed Craig when he suspected Craig was a supporter of Ulster nationalism. Craig began to build a power base for himself within unionism, becoming head of the Ulster Loyalist Association. The UUP withdrew the whip from him in May 1970 and Craig then began to prepare his own political party. The Ulster Vanguard movement was formed on 9 February 1972 under Craig's leadership (the Deputy Leaders were the Reverend Martin Smyth and Captain Austin Ardill).
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