Robert Coulter (Northern Ireland politician)

(Redirected from Rev Dr Robert Coulter)

Robert Coulter MBE (23 October 1929 – 5 September 2018) was an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician who was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for North Antrim from 1998 to 2011. He was a prominent proponent of unionism, and was the second oldest MLA after the Rev. Ian Paisley at the time of his retirement in 2011.

Robert Coulter
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Antrim North
In office
25 June 1998 – 5 May 2011
Preceded byNew Creation
Succeeded byRobin Swann
Member of
Ballymena Borough Council
In office
19 May 1993 – 7 June 2001
Preceded byNew district
Succeeded bySeamus Laverty
ConstituencyBannside
In office
15 May 1985 – 19 May 1993
Preceded byNew district
Succeeded byDistrict abolished
ConstituencyBallymena Town
Member of the Northern Ireland Forum
for North Antrim
In office
30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998
Preceded byForum created
Succeeded byForum dissolved
Personal details
Born(1929-10-23)23 October 1929
Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Died5 September 2018(2018-09-05) (aged 88)
Political partyUlster Unionist Party
Alma materTrinity College, Dublin University of Ulster
ProfessionClergyman

Career

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Between 1998 and 2011 he served as an Ulster Unionist Party MLA for North Antrim.[1] Coulter was born in 1929, making him the second oldest MLA after the Rev. Ian Paisley.

He was educated at Ballymena College, Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Ulster.

He was married, with one son and one daughter. He was a retired Presbyterian minister and a former lecturer in religious studies at Belfast Institute for Further and Higher Education.[2]

He was elected a Councillor for Ballymena Borough Council in 1985 and was Mayor of Ballymena from 1993 to 1996.

Coulter was elected Alderman of the Borough of Ballymena in 1996.

He was elected to represent the constituency of North Antrim in the Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue (1996–1998)

At the 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election, he was elected as an Ulster Unionist Party MLA for North Antrim.[1] He was a member of the Health, Social Service and Public Safety Committee in the 1998-2003 Assembly.

Coulter was re-elected to his Assembly seat in 2007.[3]

In 2010, the reverend Dr. Robert Coulter was honored for his public service with membership in the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.[4]

Coulter did not put his name forward for the 2011 election in North Antrim, effectively retiring. He was in his 80s.[5] He died on 5 September 2018.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Biography - Robert Coulter". Northern Ireland Assembly. Archived from the original on 13 March 2010. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  2. ^ Stratagem - Public Affairs and Government Relations
  3. ^ "Coulter thanks voters for three in a row victory". Ballymoney and Moyle Times. 14 March 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  4. ^ "Order of the British Empire, Civil - Members MBE - 2010 New Years Honours List". Archived from the original on 11 March 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  5. ^ "BBC News - Ulster Unionist MLA Robert Coulter to retire". BBC News. BBC News. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Tributes as former UUP MLA Robert Coulter dies aged 88". The Irish News. 6 September 2018.
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Civic offices
Preceded by
Hubert Nicholl
Mayor of Ballymena
1993–1996
Succeeded by
James Currie
Northern Ireland Forum
New forum Member for North Antrim
1996–1998
Forum dissolved
Northern Ireland Assembly
New assembly MLA for Antrim North
1998–2011
Succeeded by