Sam Foster (politician)

Sam Foster, CBE
Sam Foster, CBE
Minister of the Environment
	In office; 29 November 1999 – 20 February 2002
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Dermot Nesbitt
Member of the Legislative Assembly; for Fermanagh & South Tyrone
	In office; 25 June 1998 – 26 November 2003
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Tom Elliott
Personal details
Born	Samuel Foster; 7 December 1931; Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
Died	19 August 2014 (aged 82); Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
Political party	Ulster Unionist Party
Spouse(s)	Dorothy Foster
Children	3
Alma mater	Ulster Polytechnic
Profession	Social Worker, police officer

Major Samuel Foster CBE[1] (7 December 1931 – 19 August 2014) was an Ulster Unionist Party politician who served in the Northern Ireland Executive.

Foster was educated at Enniskillen Technical College and the Ulster Polytechnic, and was by profession a Social Worker. He was a Special Constable in the Ulster Special Constabulary for 21 years and was an Officer with the rank of Major in the Ulster Defence Regiment until his election to Fermanagh District Council in 1981. He retired from the Council in 2001 having been Chairman in 1995–97. He was highly commended for his efforts to rescue victims of the 1987 Remembrance Day bombing, of which he was nearly a victim himself.[2]

He was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue in 1996 for Fermanagh & South Tyrone and was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998. In 1999 he was appointed Environment Minister by the David Trimble, reportedly as a reward not only to Foster for his long service, but to Fermanagh UUP for their support of Trimble.[3] However, Foster was forced to resign in 2002 with the advancement of Parkinson’s Disease. He was succeeded by Dermot Nesbitt.[4]

Having been a member of the Northern Ireland Police Authority from 1982–85, he was appointed to the Northern Ireland Policing Board in 1999 on which he remained until it was reconstituted in 2006. He stood down from the Assembly at the 2003 elections.

Family

He was married with three children and was a lifelong member of the Orange Order in Fermanagh. A nephew of Foster's is married to current DUP Leader & First Minister, Arlene Foster.[5] Foster died on 19 August 2014, aged 82.[6]

References

BBC News report, 2002 Honours list, bbc.co.uk; accessed 13 March 2017.
BBC NI – Learning – A State Apart, bbc.co.uk; accessed 13 March 2017.
BBC Online, bbc.co.uk; accessed 13 March 2017.
"Environment job for Nesbitt". 19 February 2002. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
BBC News online
Notice of death of Sam Foster, BBC.co.uk; accessed 13 March 2017.

Northern Ireland Forum
New forum	Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1996–1998	Forum dissolved
Northern Ireland Assembly
New assembly	MLA for Fermanagh & South Tyrone 1998–2003	Succeeded by Tom Elliott
Political offices
New office	Minister of the Environment 1999–2000	Vacant Office suspended Title next held by self
Vacant Office suspended Title last held by self	Minister of the Environment 2000–2002	Succeeded by Dermot Nesbitt

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[1] BBC News report, 2002 Honours list, bbc.co.uk; accessed 13 March 2017.

[2] BBC NI – Learning – A State Apart, bbc.co.uk; accessed 13 March 2017.

[3] BBC Online, bbc.co.uk; accessed 13 March 2017.

[4] "Environment job for Nesbitt". 19 February 2002. Retrieved 16 August 2019.

[5] BBC News online

[6] Notice of death of Sam Foster, BBC.co.uk; accessed 13 March 2017.