Claude Wilton (12 February 1919 – 24 September 2008) was a politician,

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

and civil rights campaigner from

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 ...

. Claude Wilton, son of Robert McElmunn Wilton, was born in Eden Terrace,

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

and educated at

Foyle College Foyle College is a co-educational non-denominational voluntary grammar school in Derry, Northern Ireland. The school's legal name is Foyle and Londonderry College. In 1976, two local schools, Foyle College and Londonderry High School, merged unde ...

and

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

, where he studied law for three years. After qualifying as a solicitor, he operated his own practice at Waterloo Place and, later, in Great James' Street in Derry. Wilton retained his

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

faith, but channeled his activities into the burgeoning Civil Rights activities.Erin Hutcheon
"Death of a Derry legend, Claude Wilton"
''

Derry Journal The ''Derry Journal'' is a newspaper based in Derry, Northern Ireland, serving Derry as well as County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. It is operated by National World. The paper is published on Tuesday and Friday and is a sister paper of ...

'', 26 September 2008 He was elected as an officer of the Derry Citizens' Action Committee (DCAC) in late 1968 and called for Protestants in

to "stand up and be counted" in regard to the early campaign for civil rights in Northern Ireland. He worked as one of Derry's best-known solicitors and often represented the poor and underprivileged, earning him the description by one leading local agitator of "the usually unpaid advocate of any Bogsider in trouble". * Wilton was disappointed at the decision of the Unionist Stormont government not to locate the province's second university in Derry City, but in

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...

instead. He regarded it as another example of government's neglect of the mostly nationalist Catholic city. He decided to stand for election at the

1965 Northern Ireland general election The 1965 Northern Ireland general election was held on 25 November 1965. Like all previous elections to the Parliament of Northern Ireland, it produced a large majority for the Ulster Unionist Party. Results ''All parties shown ...

in the City of Londonderry seat for the

Ulster Liberal Party The Ulster Liberal Party was a liberal and non-sectarian political party in Northern Ireland linked to the British Liberal Party. The party was officially neutral on the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. Members expressed different v ...

. The seat was held by a Unionist, who had been unopposed in recent elections. Wilton polled 47% of the vote. At the

1969 Northern Ireland general election The 1969 Northern Ireland general election was held on Monday 24 February 1969. It was the last election to the Parliament of Northern Ireland before its abolition by the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973. This was the first (and only) el ...

, Wilton stood again in the City of Londonderry. According to

Ivan Cooper Ivan Averill Cooper (5 January 1944 – 26 June 2019) was a nationalist politician from Northern Ireland. He was a member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland and a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). He is best kno ...

, supporters used the slogan "Vote for Claude the Catholic prod". He was reduced to 35.1% of the votes cast, but reduced the Unionist majority to 710 votes and narrowly missed being elected. Immediately after the election, he was elected to the

Senate of Northern Ireland The Senate of Northern Ireland was the upper house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It was abolished with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973. Powers In practice the Se ...

, remaining a member until the body was prorogued in 1972. While serving as a Senator, he joined the

Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP; ) is a social democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland Assembly ( MLAs) and two members of Parliament (M ...

. Wilton was involved in local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, being President of the North West Football Association and Chairman of

Derry City F.C. Derry City Football Club are a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top tier of league football in the Republic of Ireland, and are its only member from Northern I ...

Death

Wilton died in

Altnagelvin hospital Altnagelvin Area Hospital is the main hospital for the North West of Northern Ireland. It is located in Waterside, Derry. It provides services to the city of Derry and County Londonderry, but also some specialist and acute services for parts of n ...

, Derry in 2008, aged 89, after a short illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilton, Claude 1919 births 2008 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin British unionists Members of the Senate of Northern Ireland 1969–1973 Civil rights activists from Northern Ireland Social Democratic and Labour Party members of the Senate of Northern Ireland Ulster Liberal Party politicians People educated at Foyle College