William McCrea (politician)

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William McCrea MP MLA

Spokesman for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Constituency	South Antrim MP & MLA

Born	June 8, 1948 (age 58) Stewartstown Co. Tyrone
Political party	Democratic Unionist Party
Website	http://www.dup.org.uk/WilliamMcCrea.asp

For other persons named William McCrea, see William McCrea (disambiguation).

Robert Thomas William McCrea (born August 6, 1948) is a unionist politician in Northern Ireland, and a member of the Democratic Unionist Party.

He has been a member of Magherafelt District Council since its creation in 1973 and in 1982 ran unsuccessfully for the Belfast South constituency in a by-election. He was member of Parliament for Mid Ulster from 1983 but lost this seat to Sinn Féin chief negoiator Martin McGuinness at the 1997 election. He took South Antrim at a by-election in 2000 caused by the death of Ulster Unionist Party MP, Clifford Forsythe, but failed to retain this seat at the 2001 election. In the 2005 election he regained the seat.

He is a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

He is also the minister of Magherafelt Free Presbyterian Church and has made numerous gospel albums.

He was a member of the Shankill Defence Association and in 1971 he was convicted of riotous behaviour in Dungiven. In 1975 he led a prayer service at the paramilitary funerals of Wesley Somerville and Harris Boyle, who were responsible for the Miami Showband killings.^[1]

McCrea was criticised by nationalists when he shared a platform at a Portadown rally with the senior loyalist paramilitary Billy Wright in September 1996.^[2]

[edit] References

^ Newton Emerson (12 August 2006). Reg warns of violence. Irish News. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.
^ David McKittrick (23 April 1997). Election '97: Voters dream of day when hope and history rhyme. The Independent. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.

[edit] External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by John Dunlop	Member of Parliament for Mid Ulster 1983–1997	Succeeded by Martin McGuinness
Preceded by Clifford Forsythe	Member of Parliament for South Antrim 2000–2001	Succeeded by David Burnside
Preceded by David Burnside	Member of Parliament for South Antrim 2005 – present	Incumbent