Hugh News is a former Irish nationalist politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

.

News studied at St Colman's College, Newry

St Colman's College, Newry

St Colman's College is a Roman Catholic school in Newry, Northern Ireland. Now named in honour of St. Colman, it was founded in 1823 as the Dromore Diocesan Seminary by a Father J.S. Keenan. The College stands on Violet Hill, the same 60 acre site it has occupied since 1829, adjacent to the...

 before working as a pharmacist

Pharmacist

Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...

 and publican

Publican

In antiquity, publicans were public contractors, in which role they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the collection of port duties, and oversaw public building projects...

 in Lurgan

Lurgan

Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and in the north-eastern corner of the county. Part of the Craigavon Borough Council area, Lurgan is about 18 miles south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway...

. In 1964, he was elected to Lurgan Borough Council, serving for three years as a member of the Independent Citizens' Association. He joined the Social Democratic and Labour Party

Social Democratic and Labour Party

The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...

 (SDLP) in the early 1970s, and was elected for the party to Craigavon Borough Council

Craigavon Borough Council

Craigavon Borough Council is a local council in counties Armagh, Down and Antrim, in Northern Ireland. The headquarters of the council is in Craigavon, on the shores of Lough Neagh, a new town built between Lurgan and Portadown. The council area includes the large towns of Lurgan and Portadown, as...

 in 1973

Northern Ireland local elections, 1973

Local government in Northern Ireland was reorganised in 1973 by the Local Government Act 1971 and the Local Government Act 1972...

, holding his seat at each election until he stood down in 1989

Northern Ireland local elections, 1989

Elections for local government were held in Northern Ireland in 1989.-Background:The elections took place after a turbulent period in Northern Irish politics. The signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in November 1985 had been followed by widespread protests by those in the Unionist community...

News was elected in Armagh

Armagh (Assembly constituency)

Armagh was a constituency used for the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973. Members were then elected from the constituency to the 1975 Constitutional Convention and the 1982 Assembly...

 at the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973

Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973

-Seats summary:-Source:* http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/fa73.htm...

, and held his seat on the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention

Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention

The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention was an elected body set up in 1975 by the UK Labour government of Harold Wilson as an attempt to deal with constitutional issues surrounding the status of Northern Ireland....

 in 1975 and at the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1982. At the last two elections, he narrowly beat fellow SDLP member Paddy O'Hanlon

Paddy O'Hanlon

Patrick Michael O'Hanlon , known as Paddy O'Hanlon, was a barrister and former nationalist politician in Ireland....

 for the final seat.

In October 1973, armed men, believed to be loyalist militants, threw a grenade at News' bar, injuring a customer and a barman. News also served as national vice-president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians

Ancient Order of Hibernians

The Ancient Order of Hibernians is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be Catholic and either Irish born or of Irish descent. Its largest membership is now in the United States, where it was founded in New York City in 1836...

through the 1970s.