William John Beattie (born 21 September 1942) is a former

minister of religion In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidanc ...

and 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 ...

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 ...

. Beattie grew up in Ballymena. In 1965, he became a student minister at the Dunmurry Free Presbyterian Church, and in 1967 he became a full minister in the Church, led by Ian Paisley. He also joined Paisley's

Protestant Unionist Party The Protestant Unionist Party (PUP)Not to be confused with the Progressive Unionist Party. was a unionist political party operating in Northern Ireland from 1966 to 1971. It was the forerunner of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and emerge ...

(PUP), and became the deputy leader. In 1970, Beattie was elected to the Northern Ireland House of Commons in a by-election in South Antrim. On the same day, Paisley was elected for Bannside, and the two became the PUP's first Members of Parliament. Beattie stood for Belfast North in the 1970 general election, but came a distant third, behind the

Ulster Unionist 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 ...

and Labour candidates. In 1971, the PUP formed the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and Beattie retained his post as deputy leader. The Parliament was prorogued in 1972, but Beattie was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly of 1973, and became deputy chief whip of the United Unionist Assembly Party. He was again elected, to the

Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention (NICC) was an elected body set up in 1975 by the United Kingdom Labour government of Harold Wilson as an attempt to deal with constitutional issues surrounding the status of Northern Ireland. F ...

in 1975, to Lisburn District Council in 1977, and to the Northern Ireland Assembly of 1982. Beattie stood in Lagan Valley in the 1983 general election, but again failed to win a seat in the British House of Commons. He resigned from the DUP in the mid-1990s, and retired as a minister on 31 December 2005.

References

Northern Ireland Parliamentary Results: Biographies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beattie, William 1942 births Living people Members of Lisburn City Council Democratic Unionist Party members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly 1973–1974 Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1969–1973 Members of the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention Northern Ireland MPAs 1982–1986 Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster ministers Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland for County Antrim constituencies People from Ballymena Politicians from County Antrim