James Kilfedder
Encyclopedia
Sir James Alexander Kilfedder (16 July 1928 in Kinlough
, County Leitrim
– 20 March 1995) was a Northern Ireland
unionist politician.
, County Leitrim
to a family from Enniskillen
, was educated at Portora Royal School
, Enniskillen and Trinity College, Dublin
. He became a barrister, called to the Irish Bar at King's Inns
, Dublin, in 1952 and the English Bar
at Gray's Inn
in 1958. He practised law in London
.
, Kilfedder was elected as an Ulster Unionist Party
(UUP) Member of Parliament
for West Belfast
. During the campaign there were riots in Divis Street when the police removed a tricolour from the Sinn Féin electoral offices of Billy McMillan after a complaint by Kilfedder in the form of a telegram to the Minister of Home Affairs, Brian McConnell. It read "Remove tricolour in Divis Street which is aimed to provoke and insult loyalists of Belfast." Kilfedder lost his seat at the 1966 election
to Gerry Fitt
. He was elected again in the 1970 general election
for North Down
, and held the seat until his death in 1995.
Kilfedder was elected for North Down in the 1973 Assembly election, signing Brian Faulkner
's pledge to support the White Paper which eventually established the Sunningdale Agreement
but becoming an anti-White Paper Unionist after the election. In 1975 he stood for the same constituency in the Constitutional Convention
election, polling over three quotas as a UUP member of the United Ulster Unionist Coalition (UUUC) although he refused to sign the UUUC's pledge of conduct.
He left the UUP in 1977 in opposition to the party's policies tending to integrationism, preferring to advocate the restoration of the Stormont administration
. For a time he sat as an "Independent Ulster Unionist". He contested the 1979 European Parliament Election under that label, finishing fourth in the count for the three seats, having overtaken the UUP leader Harry West
on transfers.
In 1980 he formed the Ulster Popular Unionist Party
(UPUP) and was re-elected under that label in all subsequent elections. He again topped the poll in the 1982 Assembly election and was elected as Speaker of the Assembly (to 1986). He generally took the Conservative whip at Westminster. Whilst Speaker he was paid more than the Prime Minister.
from Gatwick airport, Sir James died of a heart attack
. This was the same day that the Belfast Telegraph carried a front page story saying that an Ulster MP had been targeted as one of twenty MPs invited by the LGBT rights organisation OutRage!
in a letter to come out
. On 20 June 2005 the Belfast Telegraph carried a further story of how the columnist Leo McKinstry
(writing in the Spectator
) had as a boy rejected "anguished" attempts at "intimacy" from Kilfedder.
He died unmarried, survived by two sisters. Sir James was described as
Sir Jim was described by DUP
MLA
Peter Weir
as "the best MP North Down ever had." The UPUP did not outlive him, and the by-election for his Commons seat
was won by Robert McCartney
standing as a "UK Unionist". He had fought the seat in the 1987 general election as a "Real Unionist" with the backing of the Campaign for Equal Citizenship.
At the 1987 election count, in his victory speech, Kilfedder had "attacked his rival's supporters as 'a rag tag collection of people who shame the name of civil rights.' He said they included communists, Protestant paramilitaries and Gay Rights supporters and he promised to expose more in future." McCartney lost North Down in 2001 to Lady Hermon
of the Ulster Unionist Party.
Kilfedder's personal and political papers (including constituency affairs) are held in PRONI, reference D4127.
Kilfedder is buried in Whitechurch Cemetery just outside Ballywalter.
Kinlough
Kinlough nestles between the Dartry Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, the River Duff and the River Drowes, Kinlough is a village in North Leitrim at the head of Lough Melvin. It borders Donegal and Fermanagh, is in close proximity to Yeats Country, 2.5 miles from Bundoran, Co. Donegal, and across...
, County Leitrim
County Leitrim
County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
– 20 March 1995) was a Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
unionist politician.
Early life
James Kilfedder, born in KinloughKinlough
Kinlough nestles between the Dartry Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, the River Duff and the River Drowes, Kinlough is a village in North Leitrim at the head of Lough Melvin. It borders Donegal and Fermanagh, is in close proximity to Yeats Country, 2.5 miles from Bundoran, Co. Donegal, and across...
, County Leitrim
County Leitrim
County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
to a family from Enniskillen
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
, was educated at Portora Royal School
Portora Royal School
Portora Royal School for boys, and some 6th form girls, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is one of a number of 'free schools' founded by Royal Charter in 1608, by James I...
, Enniskillen and Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. He became a barrister, called to the Irish Bar at King's Inns
King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns , is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of Ireland...
, Dublin, in 1952 and the English Bar
Barristers in England and Wales
Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. -Origin of the profession:The work of senior legal professionals in England and Wales...
at Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1958. He practised law in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Political career
At the 1964 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
, Kilfedder was elected as an Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
(UUP) Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for West Belfast
Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)
Belfast West is a parliamentary constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:The seat was restored in 1922 when as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut...
. During the campaign there were riots in Divis Street when the police removed a tricolour from the Sinn Féin electoral offices of Billy McMillan after a complaint by Kilfedder in the form of a telegram to the Minister of Home Affairs, Brian McConnell. It read "Remove tricolour in Divis Street which is aimed to provoke and insult loyalists of Belfast." Kilfedder lost his seat at the 1966 election
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
to Gerry Fitt
Gerry Fitt
Gerard Fitt, Baron Fitt was a politician in Northern Ireland. He was a founder and the first leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party , a social democratic and Irish nationalist party.-Early years:...
. He was elected again in the 1970 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
for North Down
North Down (UK Parliament constituency)
North Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Sylvia Hermon, elected as an Independent in the 2010 General Election. -Boundaries:The county constituency was first created in 1885 from the northern part of Down...
, and held the seat until his death in 1995.
Kilfedder was elected for North Down in the 1973 Assembly election, signing Brian Faulkner
Brian Faulkner
Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, PC was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972...
's pledge to support the White Paper which eventually established the Sunningdale Agreement
Sunningdale Agreement
The Sunningdale Agreement was an attempt to establish a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland. The Agreement was signed at the Civil Service College in Sunningdale Park located in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on 9 December 1973.Unionist opposition, violence and...
but becoming an anti-White Paper Unionist after the election. In 1975 he stood for the same constituency in the 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....
election, polling over three quotas as a UUP member of the United Ulster Unionist Coalition (UUUC) although he refused to sign the UUUC's pledge of conduct.
He left the UUP in 1977 in opposition to the party's policies tending to integrationism, preferring to advocate the restoration of the Stormont administration
Parliament of Northern Ireland
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...
. For a time he sat as an "Independent Ulster Unionist". He contested the 1979 European Parliament Election under that label, finishing fourth in the count for the three seats, having overtaken the UUP leader Harry West
Harry West
Henry William West was a politician in Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 1974 until 1979.West was born in County Fermanagh and educated at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen...
on transfers.
In 1980 he formed the Ulster Popular Unionist Party
Ulster Popular Unionist Party
The Ulster Popular Unionist Party was a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1980 by James Kilfedder, independent Unionist Member of Parliament for North Down, who led the party until his death in 1995....
(UPUP) and was re-elected under that label in all subsequent elections. He again topped the poll in the 1982 Assembly election and was elected as Speaker of the Assembly (to 1986). He generally took the Conservative whip at Westminster. Whilst Speaker he was paid more than the Prime Minister.
Death and legacy
On 20 March, 1995, while travelling by train into LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from Gatwick airport, Sir James died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. This was the same day that the Belfast Telegraph carried a front page story saying that an Ulster MP had been targeted as one of twenty MPs invited by the LGBT rights organisation OutRage!
OutRage!
OutRage! is a British LGBT rights group that was formed to fight for equal rights of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in comparison to heterosexual people. It is a group which has at times been criticised for outing individuals who wanted to keep their homosexuality secret and for being...
in a letter to come out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
. On 20 June 2005 the Belfast Telegraph carried a further story of how the columnist Leo McKinstry
Leo McKinstry
Leo McKinstry is a British journalist and author.Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, McKinstry writes regularly for several newspapers in the United Kingdom, including the Daily Mail, Daily Express, and The Sunday Telegraph...
(writing in the Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
) had as a boy rejected "anguished" attempts at "intimacy" from Kilfedder.
He died unmarried, survived by two sisters. Sir James was described as
"a phenomenon or perhaps a left-over from a remote era of Northern Irish politics when Ulster was represented by such figures as Lord Robert GrosvenorRobert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of WestminsterLieutenant-Colonel Robert George Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster DSO TD JP DL , was a British soldier, landowner, businessman and politician. In the 1970s he was the richest man in Britain....
, Major Robin Chichester-ClarkRobin Chichester-ClarkSir Robert Chichester-Clark was member of parliament for Londonderry in the British House of Commons from 1955 until February 1974, and was the only member representing Northern Ireland to be a British government minister since the Government of Ireland Act 1920.-Early life:Chichester-Clark was...
, Stratton MillsStratton MillsWilliam Stratton Mills, known as Stratton Mills , is a retired solicitor and former politician in Northern Ireland.He was the only Member of Parliament to have sat for the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland in the British House of Commons, until Naomi Long won Belfast East in 2010...
, and Rafton PounderRafton PounderRafton John Pounder was a Pro-Assembly Unionist and Conservative Party politician and in Northern Ireland.Born at Ballynahatty, Belfast, the son of Cuthbert Pounder, Rafton Pounder was educated at Charterhouse and at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he was Chairman of the Conservative...
."
Sir Jim was described by DUP
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)
Member of the Legislative Assembly is a representative elected by the voters to the Northern Ireland Assembly in Northern Ireland.- About :...
Peter Weir
Peter Weir (politician)
Peter Weir MLA is a Northern Ireland unionist politician.A past chairman of the Young Unionists , Weir is a barrister by profession. He attended Bangor Grammar School and graduated from the Queen's University of Belfast in Law and Accountancy. He was called to the Northern Ireland Bar in 1992 and...
as "the best MP North Down ever had." The UPUP did not outlive him, and the by-election for his Commons seat
North Down by-election, 1995
The North Down by-election, in the North Down constituency, was held on 15 June 1995, following the death of James Kilfedder, who had represented the constituency since the 1970 general election...
was won by Robert McCartney
Robert McCartney (politician)
Robert Law McCartney QC is a Northern Ireland barrister and former leader of the UK Unionist Party.He was initially a member of the Ulster Unionist Party but was expelled in June 1987 when he refused to withdraw from the general election of that year...
standing as a "UK Unionist". He had fought the seat in the 1987 general election as a "Real Unionist" with the backing of the Campaign for Equal Citizenship.
At the 1987 election count, in his victory speech, Kilfedder had "attacked his rival's supporters as 'a rag tag collection of people who shame the name of civil rights.' He said they included communists, Protestant paramilitaries and Gay Rights supporters and he promised to expose more in future." McCartney lost North Down in 2001 to Lady Hermon
Sylvia Hermon
Sylvia Eileen Hermon, Lady Hermon is a Northern Irish politician. Since 2001, she has been the Member of Parliament for the constituency of North Down, first elected for the Ulster Unionist Party , but now an independent...
of the Ulster Unionist Party.
Kilfedder's personal and political papers (including constituency affairs) are held in PRONI, reference D4127.
Kilfedder is buried in Whitechurch Cemetery just outside Ballywalter.