Denis Haughey

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Denis Haughey
Junior Minister Assisting the Deputy First Minister
In office
30 May 2000 – 14 October 2002
Deputy FMSeamus Mallon
Mark Durkan
Preceded byHimself
Succeeded byGerry Kelly
In office
2 December 1999 – 11 February 2000
Deputy FMSeamus Mallon
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byHimself
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Mid Ulster
In office
25 June 1998 – 26 November 2003
Preceded byNew Creation
Succeeded byPatsy McGlone
Personal details
Born (1944-10-03) 3 October 1944 (age 79)
Coalisland, Northern Ireland
Political partySDLP
Alma materQueen's University Belfast

Denis Haughey (born 3 October 1944) is a former Irish nationalist politician in Northern Ireland.

Born in Coalisland, Haughey studied politics at Queens University, Belfast,[1] becoming involved in the civil rights movement and the first Chair of the Tyrone Civil Rights Association[2] and a founder member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), before becoming a teacher.[1] From 1972 until 1977, he was the party's Chairman.[2]

Haughey stood against Frank McManus for the Westminster seat of Fermanagh and South Tyrone in February 1974, splitting the nationalist vote and letting in Harry West of the Ulster Unionist Party.[3] He unsuccessfully contested North Antrim in the 1975 election to the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention[4]

In 1980, Haughey left teaching to work as the full-time assistant to SDLP leader John Hume.[1] During this period, he served as the party's International Secretary, and represented the SDLP on the Executives of the Party of European Socialists and the Socialist International. At the 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly election, Haughey was elected to represent Mid Ulster, but with other SDLP candidates did not take his seat, and instead joined the New Ireland Forum. He stood unsuccessfully for the Westminster seat of Mid Ulster at every general election from 1983 until 1997.[2]

In 1989, Haughey was elected to Cookstown District Council, later becoming the leader of the SDLP group on the council. He led the SDLP team in the Brooke-Mayhew Talks and later the talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement. In 1996 he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Northern Ireland Forum election in Mid-Ulster.[5] At the 1998 Assembly election, he was again elected for Mid Ulster.[1] However, he lost his seat at the 2003 election,[2] and in 2004 was unsuccessful in becoming the party's candidate for the European election.[6]

References[edit]

Northern Ireland Assembly (1982)
New assembly MPA for Mid-Ulster
1982–1986
Assembly abolished
Northern Ireland Assembly
New assembly MLA for Mid-Ulster
1998–2003
Succeeded by
Political offices
New office Junior Minister
1999–2000
Vacant
Office suspended
Title next held by
self
Vacant
Office suspended
Title last held by
self
Junior Minister
2000–2002
Vacant
Office suspended
Party political offices
Preceded by Chairperson of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
1973–1978
Succeeded by