William John Blease, Baron Blease
JP (28 May 1914 – 16 May 2008) was a
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
ist and politician from
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
.
Blease, the son of William John Blease and Sarah Watts, was educated at
McClure Public Elementary School and
Belfast Technical College, the
National Council of Labour Colleges The National Council of Labour Colleges (NCLC) was an organisation set up in the United Kingdom to foster independent working class education.
The organisation was founded at a convention held in the Clarion Club House, Yardley, Birmingham on 8/9 O ...
and then the
Workers' Educational Association
The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...
.
Blease worked first as a shop apprentice from 1929, becoming a grocer's assistant and
grocery
A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, an ...
branch manager between 1938 and 1940. In 1940, he moved to
Belfast shipyard, where he stayed as clerk until 1945. He then became branch manager of the
Co-op Society of Belfast until 1959. In 1976, he was appointed as a
justice of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
for Belfast. He was also a member of the
British Institute of Management
The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is a professional institution for management based in the United Kingdom.
The major membership classes are ''Member'', ''Fellow'' - for those with significant expertise - and ''Companion'' - the most sen ...
.
An active trade unionist, Blease was elected to the Northern Ireland Committee of the
Irish Congress of Trade Unions
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (often abbreviated to just Congress or ICTU), formed in 1959 by the merger of the Irish Trades Union Congress (founded in 1894) and the Congress of Irish Unions (founded in 1945), is a national trade union centr ...
in 1959, remaining a member until 1975. That year, he joined the
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television (ITV and Channel 4 and limited satellite television regulation – cable television was the responsibility of the Cable Authorit ...
, a post he held for four years.
Blease also joined the
Northern Ireland Labour Party
The Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP) was a political party in Northern Ireland which operated from 1924 until 1987.
Origins
The roots of the NILP can be traced back to the formation of the Belfast Labour Party in 1892. William Walker stoo ...
. He stood unsuccessfully for the
Parliament of Northern Ireland
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended because of its inability to restore ord ...
in
Belfast Oldpark at the
1953 general election, and in
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
his son
William Victor Blease (usually known as Victor) was unsuccessful in
Belfast St Anne's.
On 21 June 1978, he was created a
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
with the title Baron Blease, ''of
Cromac in the
City of Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
''. From 1979 to 1983, he was Opposition Spokesman on Northern Ireland and Labour
Whip
A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...
. The
Queen's University of Belfast
, mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back?
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made him an honorary
doctor of law
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...
and the
New University of Ulster
sco, Ulstèr Universitie
, image = Ulster University coat of arms.png
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, motto_lang =
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, latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae
, established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...
an honorary
doctor of letters
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
.
In 1985, Blease worked with
Paddy Devlin
Patrick Joseph "Paddy" Devlin (8 March 1925 – 15 August 1999) was an Irish socialist, labour and civil rights activist and writer. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), a former Stormont MP, and a member of ...
to found the
Labour Party of Northern Ireland
The Labour Party of Northern Ireland (LPNI) was the name of two distinct political parties in Northern Ireland, the first formed in 1985 by a group around Paddy Devlin, a former Social Democratic and Labour Party councillor and Northern Irelan ...
and he remained a trustee of the group until its dissolution in 1990.
Lord Blease married Sarah Evelyn Caldwell in 1939. They had four children, three sons and one daughter. They remained married until his death on 16 May 2008.
Baron Blease dies in hospital
''BBC News Online
BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. It is one of the most popular news websites, with 1.2 billion website visits in April 2021, as well as being used by 60% of the U ...
'', 16 May 2008
See also
* List of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Lords
This is a list of Members of the United Kingdom House of Lords who were born, live or lived in Northern Ireland.
This list does not include hereditary peers whose only parliamentary service was in the House of Lords prior to the passage of the ...
References
External links
Stratagem: Northern Ireland Peers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blease, William
1914 births
2008 deaths
Blease of Cromac
Northern Ireland Labour Party politicians
Trade unionists from Belfast
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
Politicians from Belfast