John Gorman (politician)

Sir John Reginald Gorman, CVO, CBE, MC, DL, (b. February 1 1923, Omagh, Northern Ireland) was between 1998 and 2003 an Ulster Unionist Party MLA for North Down, and one of the few Roman Catholics to be elected as a Unionist representative in Northern Ireland.

Born in Omagh, County Tyrone in 1923 and educated at Rockport School, Loretta Convent, Omagh and Portora Royal School, [ [http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/members/biogs/jgorman.htm NI Assembly Biography] ] Gorman joined the Irish Guards in 1944, rising to the rank of Captain. After winning the Military Cross in the Second World War he left the army and served as a District Inspector of the RUC from 1946 to 1963.

After an assorted career, during which he was for a time Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, he was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue in 1996 as a "top-up candidate" from the party list. He served as Chairman of the Forum from 1996 to 1998.

In 1998 he was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly for North Down and served as a Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. He resigned as Deputy Speaker in February 2002 [ [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ni/?id=2002-02-19.5.0&s=speaker%3A10605 Assembly debate on resignation as Deputy Speaker] ] .

He was knighted in the Birthday Honours of 1998 and is a Deputy Lord Lieutenant (DL) of County Down.

External links

* [http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/members/biogs/jgorman.htm Northern Ireland Assembly biography]
* [http://www.ulster-scots.co.uk/docs/articles/cultural/bombfactory.htm Extract from autobiography]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/2262572.stm BBC News - Gorman set to retire from Assembly] 17 September 2002

References