Sir Clarence Johnston Graham, 1st Baronet (8 May 1900 – 22 December 1966) was a businessman and an
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it l ...
politician in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
.
Background
The son of John Graham
JP and Sarah (née Porter) Graham was educated at
Banbridge Academy and the
Queen's University, Belfast
The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...
. He was director of his family's firm, ''John Graham (Dromore) Ltd'', engineering contractors (est. c. 1788) from 1955. Graham Construction remains one of the largest construction firms in Northern Ireland and operates throughout the UK.
Politics
Graham was Chairman of the Standing Committee of the
Ulster Unionist Council
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist oppositi ...
from 1947 to 1963. He was Chairman of Dromore Urban Council (1928–32) and of Iveagh Unionist Association (1935–65), and President of the latter from 1965 until his death.
Controversially, along with
Brian Maginess, he called for the UUP to encourage Roman Catholic membership whilst speaking at a
Young Unionists meeting in 1959.
Baronetcy
Having been
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
in 1952 he was, in 1964, created
Baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
, ''of
Dromore, County Down.'' There were nine baronetcies created in 1964, no more were created until 1990, when
Denis Thatcher was a recipient. Sir Clarence was succeeded by his son, John Moodie Graham (born 3 April 1938), upon his death. Sir John Graham, the second baronet, lived in
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...
,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, before returning to
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
See also
*
Clarence Johnston (disambiguation)
References
External links
GRAHAM company website
https://www.geni.com/projects/Graham-baronets/17666
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Clarence
1900 births
1966 deaths
Ulster Unionist Party councillors
Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Knights Bachelor
People educated at Banbridge Academy
Councillors in County Down
People from Dromore, County Down