Sir William Ernest George Johnston, DL (31 October 1884 – 26 October 1951) was a Unionist politician and businessman in Northern Ireland.

Life and career

Born in Belfast, William Johnston was the son of Rt. Hon. Sir James Johnston, of Belvoir Park. Educated at

Campbell College, Belfast Campbell College located in Belfast, Northern Ireland and founded in 1894 comprises a preparatory school department (junior age) and a senior Northern Ireland 'Voluntary Grammar' school, the latter meaning, in terms of provision of education, a ...

and the

Queen's University of Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

he then entered his father's firm, James Johnston & Co. Ltd., flax merchants based at Donegall Street in Belfast. Thus, like many of his contemporaries, Sir William's family was involved in Ulster's thriving linen trade. In Belfast's civic life, Sir William was High Sheriff and

Lord Mayor of Belfast The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairperson of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the City's 60 councillors. The Lord Mayor also serves as the representative of the city of Belfast, welcoming guests from across the Un ...

from May 1949 to May 1951, and an ex officio member of the Senate of Northern Ireland, the upper house of the

Stormont Parliament 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 ...

. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the 1951 King's Birthday Honours List.

Personal life

In 1912 he married Olive Patterson, the daughter of Rev. Dr. William Patterson, of Cooke Church,

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada. The couple had one son and lived at Wellington Park, Malone Road, Belfast, where Sir William died in 1951.

References

*Who Was Who 1955 {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, William Lord Mayors of Belfast 1884 births 1951 deaths High Sheriffs of Belfast Members of the Senate of Northern Ireland 1949–1953 People educated at Campbell College Ulster Unionist Party members of the Senate of Northern Ireland Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Deputy Lieutenants of Belfast Knights Bachelor