Fergus McAteer is an
accountant and former
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, a ...
in
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. North ...
.
The son of
Nationalist Party leader
Eddie McAteer, Fergus was active in the civil rights movement of the late 1960s. He was arrested during the events of
Bloody Sunday and charged with throwing stones, but the charges were later dropped. McAteer always strongly denied these claims.
McAteer himself became prominent in the Nationalist Party. In 1973, he was elected to
Derry City Council, and he was re-elected in 1977.
In October 1977 he merged the Nationalist Party with
Unity to form the
Irish Independence Party (IIP), becoming joint chair with former Unity leader
Frank McManus. He stood for the party in
Londonderry at the
1979 general election, but could take only fourth place in the poll. He held his seat on the City Council in 1981, with an increased vote.
McAteer narrowly held the seat in 1985 and the IIP overall saw their representation on local councils reduced from 21 members in 1981 to 4 members in 1985 and dissolved before the next local election, and McAteer did not restand in 1989.
McAteer started an accountancy firm in 1973, and continued to run the firm as of 2007.
Fergus McAteer & Co
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McAteer, Fergus
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Accountants from Northern Ireland
Councillors in Derry (city)
Leaders of political parties in Northern Ireland