Ivan Neill

Sir Ivan Neill, KBE, PC (1 July 1906 — 7 November 2001), was a British Army officer and Unionist politician from Northern Ireland.

The Right Honourable Sir Ivan Neill KBE PC MP
Speaker of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland
In office 1969–1972
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	James Chichester-Clark Brian Faulkner
Preceded by	Sir Norman Stronge
Succeeded by	Parliament prorogued
Minister for Development
In office 19 December 1968 – 3 March 1969
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Terence O'Neill
Preceded by	William Fitzsimmons
Succeeded by	William Long
Leader of the House of Commons
In office 1964–1965
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Terence O'Neill
Preceded by	Position created
Succeeded by	Brian Faulkner
Minister of Finance
In office 22 July 1964 – 2 April 1965
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Terence O'Neill
Preceded by	Jack Andrews
Succeeded by	Herbert Kirk
Minister of Education
In office 12 March 1962 – 22 July 1964
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	The 1st Viscount Brookeborough
Preceded by	William May
Succeeded by	Herbert Kirk
Minister of Labour
In office 12 January 1950 – 12 March 1962
Monarch	George VI Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Sir Basil Brooke
Preceded by	Harry Midgley
Succeeded by	Herbert Kirk
Member of Parliament for Ballynafeigh
In office 1949–1972
Preceded by	Frederick Thompson
Succeeded by	Parliament prorogued
Majority	3,848
Personal details
Born	1 July 1906 Belfast, Ireland
Died	7 November 2001 (aged 95) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Nationality	British
Political party	Ulster Unionist Party
Spouse(s)	Margaret
Alma mater	The Queen's University of Belfast
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Economist, Army officer
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Rank	Major
Unit	Royal Engineers

Early life

Born in Belfast, Ireland, Neill studied at Ravenscroft National School and Shaftesbury Tutorial College before receiving a BSc in Economics from Queen's University, Belfast.[1] He ran a firm of building contractors in east Belfast[2] before joining the Royal Engineers as an officer in 1939. He served with the military until 1946, by which time he held the rank of major.[1]

Political activity

In 1946, Neill was elected to Belfast Corporation as an Ulster Unionist Party member, and two years later, he became an alderman, serving until 1950. At the 1949 Northern Ireland general election, he was elected for Belfast Ballynafeigh. In January 1950, he was made Minister of Labour, and was appointed to the Privy Council of Northern Ireland.[1] In this post, he sometimes spoke against his Government's policy – for example, against the 1956 Rent Bill which permitted landlords to increase rents in order to improve properties, while in 1958 he was rebuked for making a critical speech on economic policy.[3]

He held the post until 1962, when he became Minister of Education, then in 1964 he moved to become Minister of Finance and Leader of the House of Commons.[1] He was stripped of the Leadership of the House the following spring, and resigned from the Government in April,[4] feeling that he was being marginalised in favour of William Craig.[3]

In 1964, Neill again took a seat as an alderman on Belfast Corporation, this time serving for six years. In December 1968, he returned to the Government as Minister of Development, then in March 1969, he was elected as the Speaker of the House of Commons.[1]

The Official Irish Republican Army attempted to kidnap Neill from his house near Rostrevor, in October 1971. They were unsuccessful, but in December, his house was burnt down in an arson attack.[2]

The Parliament was prorogued in 1972. In March 1973, the British Government published its plans to replace the Parliament with the Northern Ireland Assembly. Neill resigned as a Member of Parliament and as Speaker. He was not replaced, and was therefore the last Speaker of the Parliament of Northern Ireland. He received a knighthood and withdrew from politics.[2]

Personal life

Neill was married to Margaret with whom he had no children.

In 1995, Neill wrote an autobiography, Church and State. In this, he called on unionists to put aside their differences.[2][3]

He was a frequent visitor to his local Baptist Church.

References

1. Biographies of Members of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
2. "Obituary – Sir Ivan Neill", Belfast Telegraph, 7 November 2001
3. Graham Walker, A History of the Ulster Unionist Party
4. Michael Kennedy, Division and Consensus