James Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Molyneaux of Killead
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| 11th Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party | |
| In office 7 September 1979 – 8 September 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Harry West |
| Succeeded by | David Trimble |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| In office 10 June 1997 – 9 March 2015 Life Peerage |
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| Member of Parliament for Lagan Valley |
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| In office 9 June 1983 – 8 April 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency created |
| Succeeded by | Jeffrey Donaldson |
| Member of Parliament for South Antrim |
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| In office 18 June 1970 – 13 May 1983 |
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| Preceded by | Knox Cunningham |
| Succeeded by | Clifford Forsythe |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Henry Molyneaux
27 August 1920 Killead, Ireland |
| Died | 9 March 2015 (aged 94) Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| Political party | Ulster Unionist Party |
| Residences | Killead, County Antrim |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1941–c.1947 |
| Rank | Flying Officer |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
James Henry Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead (27 August 1920 – 9 March 2015) was a Northern Irish politician. He was a unionist, meaning he supported Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom. He led the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 1979 to 1995.
Molyneaux also served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the UK Parliament. He represented South Antrim from 1970 to 1983. Later, he represented Lagan Valley from 1983 to 1997. He was also a senior member of the Orange Order and the Royal Black Institution.
Contents
Early Life and Education
James Molyneaux was born in Killead, a small village in County Antrim. His parents were William Molyneaux and Sarah Gilmore. He went to school in Aldergrove, a nearby area. Although he grew up in the Anglican faith, he briefly attended a local Roman Catholic primary school.
Military Service in World War II
Molyneaux joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1941. He served until 1946, which included most of World War II. He was part of the forces that helped free prisoners from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. He sometimes shared his experiences of what he saw there. In 1947, he was promoted to the rank of flying officer.
Entering Politics
From 1964 until the 1970s, Molyneaux was a member of Antrim County Council. In the 1970 general election, he was elected to the House of Commons. This is where Members of Parliament (MPs) work. He became the UUP MP for South Antrim. He took over from Knox Cunningham, with whom he had worked closely.
South Antrim was a very large voting area. It often elected Unionist MPs with many more votes than their opponents. In 1979, Molyneaux won with 69% of the votes. This gave him a majority of 38,868 votes, which was the largest in the United Kingdom at that time.
Molyneaux gave his first speech in Parliament on 15 February 1971. He talked about the security situation in Northern Ireland. He said that people in Northern Ireland wanted to be part of the United Kingdom. He believed they would do their part, just as they had in the past.
In October 1974, Molyneaux became the leader of the Ulster Unionists in the House of Commons. From 1982 to 1986, he was also a UUP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. In 1982, he became a member of the Privy Council. This is a group of senior advisors to the British monarch. That same year, he survived two attempts on his life.
Molyneaux helped negotiate a change that increased Northern Ireland's number of MPs. The number went from 12 to 17 seats. This change happened for the 1983 general election. Because of new boundary lines, South Antrim was divided. Molyneaux was then elected for the new area called Lagan Valley.
Leading the UUP
After the previous leader, Harry West, stepped down, James Molyneaux became the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party in 1979. The UUP had been through a difficult time with many changes. Molyneaux was seen as someone who could bring stability.
He was known for his quiet style, which was different from other politicians like Ian Paisley. Molyneaux believed his job was to manage the party. He focused on keeping the party united. His supporters said he was good at bringing different groups of unionists together. Under his leadership, the party avoided the splits it had seen in the 1970s.
During the 1980s, Molyneaux was also a member of the Conservative Monday Club. He wrote an article for their newspaper before the Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed. The article was titled 'Northern Ireland – Ulster belongs to Britain NOT to the Irish Republic'.
Under Molyneaux's leadership, the UUP gained several new MP seats in the 1983 general election. These included East Antrim and Lagan Valley. The party also won seats from other parties. By 1992, the UUP had nine MPs. Two members of the party were also made life peers. This means they became members of the House of Lords for life. The UUP also increased its number of local councillors between 1981 and 1993.
Molyneaux was described as a "private and discreet man." In 1992, he led a UUP group to talk with the Irish Government in Dublin. This was an important step at the time. His support for the Downing Street Declaration in 1993 was also very important. It helped calm fears among unionists.
The Anglo-Irish Agreement
In November 1985, the Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed. This agreement was a surprise to Molyneaux. In protest, Molyneaux and fourteen other Unionist MPs resigned from their seats on 17 December 1985. They hoped that the new elections would show public disapproval of the agreement. Molyneaux was re-elected in the January 1986 by-election. Most of the other Unionist MPs were also re-elected.
Molyneaux felt most comfortable working in Westminster. He believed that influencing decisions in London was the best way for unionists to have an impact. He did not support formal power-sharing between unionists and nationalists.
Peace Process and Retirement
In August 1994, the Provisional IRA announced a ceasefire. Molyneaux called this a "destabilising event."
In March 1995, a 21-year-old student challenged Molyneaux for the UUP leadership. Molyneaux won easily, but there was a significant protest vote against him. After the UUP did not perform well in a by-election, Molyneaux decided to retire as leader in September 1995. He was also 75 years old at the time.
After retiring as UUP leader, Molyneaux was made a knight in 1996. He became a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). He stepped down as an MP in 1997. On 10 June 1997, he was made a life peer. This meant he became Baron Molyneaux of Killead and could sit in the House of Lords.
In the late 1990s, a Roman Catholic church near his home was burned down. Molyneaux helped raise money to rebuild it. His last speech as an MP, on 19 March 1997, thanked the government for giving Northern Ireland equal representation in the UK Parliament.
Later Years
Molyneaux gave his first speech in the House of Lords on 3 July 1997. He was critical of the ongoing peace process. He stressed the need to reduce the "bitterness" that had allowed terrorists to operate.
In his retirement, Molyneaux sometimes publicly criticized his successor, David Trimble. He strongly opposed the Good Friday Agreement. In the 2005 general election, Molyneaux supported candidates from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and other anti-Trimble UUP candidates. This caused some discussion within unionism.
Molyneaux gave his last speech in the House of Lords in February 2006. He spoke about his concern for families affected by poor service from the Child Support Agency. He continued to vote in the House of Lords until October 2008.
Death
James Molyneaux passed away at the age of 94 on 9 March 2015, in Antrim, Northern Ireland. This day is known as Commonwealth Day.
Tributes were paid to him in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The UUP leader, Mike Nesbitt, spoke about Molyneaux. He said that seeing Lord Molyneaux lay a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday showed his "dignity and service."
Arms
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See also
- List of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Lords
- List of Northern Ireland members of the Privy Council
