Joe Hendron

Joe Hendron
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Belfast West
In office 25 June 1998 – 26 November 2003
Preceded by	Office Created
Succeeded by	Diane Dodds
In office 20 October 1982 – 1986
Preceded by	Assembly re-established
Succeeded by	Assembly abolished
Member of Parliament for Belfast West
In office 9 April 1992 – 8 April 1997
Preceded by	Gerry Adams
Succeeded by	Gerry Adams
Member of the Northern Ireland Forum for Belfast West
In office 30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998
Preceded by	Forum created
Succeeded by	Forum dissolved
Member of Belfast City Council
In office 15 May 1985 – 19 May 1993
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	Patsy McGeown
Constituency	Lower Falls
In office 20 May 1981 – 15 May 1985
Preceded by	Liam Hunter
Succeeded by	District abolished
Constituency	Belfast Area D
Member of the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention for Belfast West
In office 1975–1976
Preceded by	Convention created
Succeeded by	Convention dissolved
Personal details
Born	(1932-11-12) 12 November 1932 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Political party	SDLP
Spouse	Sally
Children	4
Profession	Physician

Joseph Gerard Hendron (born 12 November 1932) is a Northern Ireland politician, a member of the centre-left Irish nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).

Background

Hendron, also a local GP physician for 40 years, was first elected as a political representative of Belfast West in 1975 to the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention. He was later elected to Belfast City Council in 1981 and in 1982 to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Hendron was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast West between April 1992 and May 1997 in the UK Parliament in London. He had taken the seat from Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams at his third attempt with a majority of 1%. He became the only nationalist MP to defeat Adams. The seat had previously been held for the SDLP by Gerry Fitt (later Lord Fitt) until 1983. Hendron attracted unprecedented cross-community support from Nationalists and Unionists in the constituency. This was the only example where an SDLP candidate received a high enough number of Unionist votes in Belfast West to help unseat a Sinn Féin candidate. Adams regained the seat at the next election in May 1997.

In 1996, Hendron was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum and in 1998 to the newly reconvened Northern Ireland Assembly. However, he lost his seat in the 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election to a member of Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party.

He was appointed a member of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission in 2005. He retired from this role in December 2010.

External links

• [1]
• [2]

Bibliography

• Maiden Speech : House of Commons – 18 June 1992