Wallace Browne, Baron Browne of Belmont facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Browne of Belmont
Official portrait, 2022
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 July 2006 Life peerage
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast East
In office 7 March 2007 – 24 March 2011
Preceded by	Michael Copeland
Succeeded by	Sammy Douglas
62nd Lord Mayor of Belfast
In office 1 June 2005 – 1 June 2006
Preceded by	Tom Ekin
Succeeded by	Patrick McCarthy
High Sheriff of Belfast
In office January 2002 – January 2003
Preceded by	Alan Crowe
Succeeded by	Margaret Clarke
Member of Belfast City Council
In office 15 May 1985 – 5 May 2011
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	John Hussey
Constituency	Victoria
Personal details
Born	(1947-10-29) 29 October 1947 (age 77) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Nationality	British
Political party	Democratic Unionist Party
Alma mater	Queen's University Belfast

Wallace Hamilton Browne, Baron Browne of Belmont (born 29 October 1947) is a politician from Northern Ireland. He is a member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Since 2006, he has been a Member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament. He also used to be a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Belfast from 2007 to 2011.

Wallace Browne's Political Journey

Wallace Browne has had a long career in politics. He was an important member of the DUP's main committee. He served on the Belfast City Council for the Victoria area from 1985 until 2010.

Roles in Belfast City

During his time on the Belfast City Council, Wallace Browne held two important positions. In 2002, he was the High Sheriff of Belfast. This is a ceremonial role in the city. Later, from 2005 to 2006, he became the Lord Mayor of Belfast. The Lord Mayor is the main representative of the city.

Serving in the Northern Ireland Assembly

In 2007, Wallace Browne was chosen by voters to be a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. He represented the East Belfast area. He worked in the Assembly until 2011. While there, he was part of different groups, like the Justice Committee and the Culture and Arts Committee. He also led the Assembly Procedures Committee.

Joining the House of Lords

Since 2006, Wallace Browne has been a member of the House of Lords. This is the second chamber of the UK Parliament. He was one of the first three DUP members to join the House of Lords as a "life peer." A life peer is someone given a special title for life, allowing them to take part in Parliament. This was a big step for his party, as it was their first time having members in the House of Lords. He was given the title Baron Browne of Belmont on 12 June 2006.

As a member of the House of Lords, Lord Browne has been very active. He often speaks in debates about important topics. These include bringing back the government in Northern Ireland and issues affecting armed forces veterans. He also spoke about the UK leaving the European Union (Brexit). In 2017, he led the first special discussion in the House of Lords about online gambling.

Portrait Incident at Belfast City Hall

On 19 October 2024, something happened to a portrait of Wallace Browne in Belfast City Hall. The portrait was taken off a wall, and the glass in its frame was broken. This happened during an event celebrating an Irish language group.

A person who worked for a political party later said they were involved. They resigned from their job and their party membership. The police are looking into the damage. The portrait was painted by an artist named Zohar Arnon.

Wallace Browne's Life Outside Politics

Before he became an MLA in 2007, Wallace Browne worked as a grammar school teacher. He also helped manage the Somme Association for many years. He went to Campbell College, Belfast as a student. In 1970, he graduated from Queen's University, Belfast with a degree in zoology, which is the study of animals.

See also

• List of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Lords