Charles McCullough, sometimes known as Charlie McCullough, (18 December 1923 – 4 October 2014) was a
unionist politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
in
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 ...
. He was born in Belfast.
McCullough was based on the
Shankill Road
The Shankill Road () is one of the main roads leading through West Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It runs through the working-class, predominantly loyalist, area known as the Shankill.
The road stretches westwards for about from central Belfast a ...
. He was a member of the founding executive of
Ulster Protestant Action
Ulster Protestant Action (UPA) was an Ulster loyalist political party and Protestant fundamentalist vigilante group in Northern Ireland that was founded in 1956 and reformed as the Protestant Unionist Party in 1966.
Founding
The group was found ...
, in 1956. He was elected to
Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhéal Feirste) is the local authority with responsibility for part of the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of (), the l ...
for the group in 1958, topping the poll. He left the group before the next elections, in 1961, joining the
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movem ...
(UUP).
Cullough secured re-election under his new party colours and, by 1965, he was the chair of its Improvement Committee. He resigned from this following a dispute over the naming of the
Queen Elizabeth Bridge
The Queen Elizabeth Bridge is a road bridge just to the west of the town of Windsor, Berkshire, England.
The bridge carries the A332 Royal Windsor Way across the River Thames, on the reach between Romney Lock and Boveney Lock. The bridge wa ...
; he had instead hoped it would be named for
Edward Carson
Edward Henry Carson, 1st Baron Carson, PC, PC (Ire) (9 February 1854 – 22 October 1935), from 1900 to 1921 known as Sir Edward Carson, was an Irish unionist politician, barrister and judge, who served as the Attorney General and Solicito ...
, and believed that this name had been rejected due to party indiscipline.
In 1968, McCullough was elected to the
Senate of Northern Ireland
The Senate of Northern Ireland was the upper house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It was abolished with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973.
Powers
In practice the Sen ...
.
[The Northern Ireland Senate, 1921-72]
, Northern Ireland Elections He resigned from the UUP in September 1970, and became a founder member of the
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. Currently led by J ...
(DUP) the following year. The Senate ceased to meet in 1972,
and, although McCullough remained a supporter of the DUP, he did not stand in any further elections. On 4 October 2014, he died at the age of 90.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mccullough, Charles
1923 births
2014 deaths
Democratic Unionist Party members of the Senate of Northern Ireland
Members of Belfast City Council
Members of the Senate of Northern Ireland 1965–1969
Members of the Senate of Northern Ireland 1969–1973
Ulster Protestant Action members
Ulster Unionist Party members of the Senate of Northern Ireland