David Brewster (politician)

David Brewster LL.B, born 10 January 1964 and died [1] 20 January 2021, is a former Ulster unionist politician, community activist and historian from Limavady, County Londonderry.

Brewster came to prominence in the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) as a close associate of David Trimble. Unenthusiastic about Jim Molyneaux's leadership of the party, Brewster backed Trimble's successful candidacy in the September 1995 leadership election.[2] Brewster was already the Secretary of the East Londonderry Association of the party, and Trimble assisted him in winning election as one of the party's honorary secretaries in 1996.[3] Brewster claims that Trimble also offered to help him take over as the Member of Parliament for East Londonderry from William Ross, a leading figure in the UUP but a critic of Trimble. However, Brewster did not want the role,[3] and instead won a seat in the equivalent constituency on the Northern Ireland Forum.[4] He worked with Peter King and Dean Godson on the UUP's "Strand I" team at the talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement.[5]

Brewster was also active in the Orange Order and, like most UUP members who were prominent Orangemen, he became critical of Trimble's leadership, and opposed the Good Friday Agreement.[6] He joined the oppositionist Union First Group, and left the party in 2003 to join the rival Democratic Unionist Party.[3]

Outside politics, Brewster worked as a Solicitor and had his own practice in his hometown of Limavady [7] and served as President of the Roe Valley Chamber of Commerce from 2013-2016. He was also Vice Chairman of Limavady United Football Club and President of the William F. Massey Foundation.[8][9]

References
  1. Belfast Telegraph, "Tributes paid to popular Limavady solicitor David Brewster who died suddenly", 21 January 2021 https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/tributes-paid-to-popular-limavady-solicitor-david-brewster-who-died-suddenly-39991901.html
  2. Graham Walker, A History of the Ulster Unionist Party, p.250
  3. Dean Godson, Himself Alone: David Trimble and the Ordeal of Unionism, p.184
  4. "East Londonderry", Northern Ireland Elections
  5. Dean Godson, Himself Alone: David Trimble and the Ordeal of Unionism, p.298
  6. Henry Patterson and Eric P. Kaufmann, Unionism and Orangeism in Northern Ireland Since 1945, p.233
  7. David R. Brewster, http://www.drbrewster.co.uk/
  8. George Jones and David Sharrock, "QCs in Ulster no longer pledge to serve Queen", The Daily Telegraph, 28 June 2000
  9. https://twitter.com/limavadylawyer
Northern Ireland Forum
New forum Member for East Londonderry
1996–1998		 Forum dissolved
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