John Taylor, Baron Kilclooney

John David Taylor, Baron Kilclooney, PC (NI) (born 24 December 1937), is a former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Northern Irish MP and a life peer. He was born in Armagh in Northern Ireland.[1] He was deputy leader of the UUP from 1995 to 2001, and a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The Right Honourable The Lord Kilclooney PC (NI)
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 July 2001 Life peerage
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Strangford
In office 25 June 1998 – 7 March 2007
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Michelle McIlveen
Member of Parliament for Strangford
In office 9 June 1983 – 14 May 2001
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Iris Robinson
Member of the European Parliament for Northern Ireland
In office 10 June 1979 – 15 June 1989
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Jim Nicholson
Member of the Northern Ireland Parliament for South Tyrone
In office 25 November 1965 – 30 March 1972
Preceded by	William Frederick McCoy
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	(1937-12-24) 24 December 1937 Armagh, Northern Ireland
Nationality	British
Political party	Crossbench (formerly) Ulster Unionist Party
Spouse(s)	Mary Todd
Children	6
Alma mater	The Queen's University of Belfast

Career and family

Taylor was educated at The Royal School, Armagh, and The Queen's University of Belfast (BSc). Lord Kilclooney owns Alpha Newspapers which operates local newspaper titles in Northern Ireland and the Republic.[2] He is a member of the Farmers Club in London, and the County Club in Armagh City.

Lord Kilclooney's political career began as MP for South Tyrone in the Northern Irish House of Commons between 1970 and 1972, and he served in the Government of Northern Ireland as Minister of State at the Ministry of Home Affairs.[3]

On 25 February 1972, he survived an assassination attempt in Armagh by the Official Irish Republican Army.[4] Two men, including Joe McCann (who was himself shot dead some months afterwards whilst evading arrest), raked his car with bullets, hitting Taylor five times in the neck and head.[5] Taylor survived, but needed extensive reconstructive surgery on his jaw. Despite this, Taylor soon re-entered politics. He represented Fermanagh & South Tyrone in the short-lived Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 1973 and dissolved in 1974, following the collapse of the power-sharing Executive.[6]

He became a Member of the European Parliament for Northern Ireland in 1979, remaining an MEP until 1989.[7] On 20 January 1987,[8] Taylor left the European Democrats, with whom the Conservatives sat, to join the controversial European Right group.[9]

He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1982 for North Down.[10] He then became MP for Strangford in 1983, until 2001.[11] He was a member of Castlereagh Borough Council from 1993–1997. In February 1989 he joined the "hard right" Conservative Monday Club and appears on the list of their speakers at the Annual Conference of its Young Members' Group at the United Oxford & Cambridge Club in Pall Mall, on 18 November 1989, when he spoke on 'The Union and Northern Ireland'.

Following the 2001 general election, on 17 July he was created a life peer as Baron Kilclooney, of Armagh in the County of Armagh,[12] sitting as a crossbencher. He sat on the Northern Ireland Policing Board from 4 November 2001 until 31 March 2006.[13] He continued to sit as a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly until his retirement prior to the elections in March 2007. He remains the only active politician to have participated in all levels of government in Northern Ireland, from local council, the Parliament of Northern Ireland, Westminster, Europe, all previous failed Assemblies and Conventions and the current incarnation of the Assembly.

In January 2012, Taylor wrote to The Scotsman newspaper asserting that Scotland should be subject to partition, depending on the outcome of the Scottish independence referendum.[14]

Personal life

He married Mary Todd in 1970 and has six children.

Arms

Coat of arms of John Taylor, Baron Kilclooney

Coronet A Coronet of a Baron Crest A Tailor Bird Or grasping a Bush eradicated Azure enflamed Or Escutcheon Azure issuing in base three Representations of the Scrabo Tower Argent with windows framed and Pinnacles Or each ensigned by a Viking Helm Argent horned Or Supporters On either side an Irish Elk Gules unguled and attired Or resting the exterior forehoof upon an Ulster Gatepost Argent Motto A While Fer Wark An A While Fer Spoartin

See also

• List of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Lords

Footnotes

1. Gordon Gillespie (24 September 2009). The A to Z of the Northern Ireland Conflict. Scarecrow Press. pp. 243–. ISBN 978-0-8108-7045-1.
2. Neill, Maurice (4 December 2003). "Taylor buys up four newspapers in Republic". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
3. "Biography of John Kilclooney". parliament.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
4. "CAIN: Chronology of the conflict 1972". ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
5. Fleming, Joanne (1 August 2016). "It's outrageous ex-soldier may be prosecuted over shooting of IRA man who tried to kill me, declares peer". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
6. Details of assassination attempt, cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 24 October 2015.
7. Sharrock, David (30 January 2001). "Unionists' John Taylor to stand down as an MP". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
8. "A Chronology of the Conflict – 1987". Conflict Archive on the Internet. University of Ulster. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
9. "John Taylor: Profile". BBC News. 30 January 2001.
10. Gordon Gillespie (16 March 2017). Historical Dictionary of the Northern Ireland Conflict. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 290–. ISBN 978-1-4422-6305-5.
11. "Northern Ireland Elections". ark.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
12. "No. 56281". The London Gazette. 20 July 2001. p. 8601.
13. "Previous Policing Board Members". nipolicingboard.org.uk. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
14. "Partition could come north of Border". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.

External links

• Stormont Biography
• BBC Profile
• Cain Biography
• Northern Ireland Policing Board
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Taylor

Parliament of Northern Ireland
Preceded by W.F. McCoy	Member of Parliament for South Tyrone 1965–1973	Parliament abolished
Northern Ireland Assembly (1973)
New assembly	Assembly Member for Fermanagh & South Tyrone 1973–1974	Assembly abolished
Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention
New convention	Member for North Down 1975–1976	Convention dissolved
European Parliament
New constituency	MEP for Northern Ireland 1979–1989	Succeeded by Jim Nicholson
Northern Ireland Assembly (1982)
New assembly	MPA for North Down 1982–1986	Assembly abolished
Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Strangford 1983–2001	Succeeded by Iris Robinson
Northern Ireland Forum
New forum	Member for Strangford 1996–1998	Forum dissolved
Northern Ireland Assembly
New assembly	MLA for Strangford 1998–2007	Succeeded by Michelle McIlveen
Political offices
Preceded by Robert Porter	Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs 1970	Office abolished
New office	Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs 1970–1972	Office abolished
Party political offices
Vacant Office abolished Title last held by Harold McCusker	Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party 1995–2002	Succeeded by Sir Reg Empey
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Lord Radice	Gentlemen Baron Kilclooney	Followed by The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass