Charles Poots

Charles Boucher Poots (born 1929), often known as Charlie Poots, is a former unionist politician in Northern Ireland.

Poots joined Ian Paisley's Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, acting as Treasurer of the Hillsborough church. He also joined the Protestant Unionist Party (PUP), standing unsuccessfully for the group in Iveagh at the Northern Ireland general election, 1969. The PUP soon reformed as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and Poots was elected to Lisburn Borough Council at the 1973 local elections. He also won a seat in North Down at the 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election.[1] Contemporary reports claim that he started a fist-fight at the Assembly in December, after throwing a punch at Basil McIvor[2] and he was suspended in 1974 for one day after calling Brian Faulkner a "lying tramp".[1]

Poots held his North Down seat on the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention in 1975, but he lost it at the 1982 Assembly election.[1] In 1976, shots were fired at his car while driving through the predominantly Irish nationalist Markets area of Belfast.[3] He held his Lisburn council seat until 1997, serving as Deputy Mayor in 1991/2.[4] His son, Edwin Poots, later became a DUP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 William D. Flackes, Northern Ireland: a political directory, 1968-83, p.179
  2. ↑ "Fists fly in Ulster Assembly", Montreal Gazette, 6 December 1973
  3. ↑ "Shot fired at Paisley supporter", Glasgow Herald, 1 June 1976
  4. ↑ Sydney Elliot and William D. Flackes, Conflict in Northern Ireland: an encyclopedia, p.394
  5. ↑ Edwin Poots - Biography
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