James Chichester-Clark

The Lord Moyola
Chichester-Clark in 1970
5th Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
In office
28 April 1969 – 23 March 1971
MonarchElizabeth II
GovernorThe Lord Grey of Naunton
Preceded byTerence O'Neill
Succeeded byBrian Faulkner
8th Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party
In office
28 April 1969 – 31 March 1971
Preceded byTerence O'Neill
Succeeded byBrian Faulkner
Leader of the House of Commons
In office
2 September 1968 – 23 April 1969
Prime MinisterTerence O'Neill
Preceded byBrian McConnell
Succeeded byJohn Dobson
In office
7 October 1966 – 27 September 1967
Prime MinisterTerence O'Neill
Preceded byBrian Faulkner
Succeeded byBrian McConnell
Minister of Agriculture
In office
5 May 1967 – 23 April 1969
Prime MinisterTerence O'Neill
Preceded byHarry West
Succeeded byPhelim O'Neill
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
20 July 1971 – 17 May 2002
Life Peerage
Member of the Northern Ireland Parliament
for South Londonderry
In office
9 July 1960 – 30 March 1972
Preceded byDehra Parker
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Personal details
Born
James Dawson Clark

(1923-02-12)12 February 1923
Moyola Park, Northern Ireland
Died17 May 2002(2002-05-17) (aged 79)
Political partyUlster Unionist Party
Spouse
Moyra Haughton
(m. 1959)
Children2
Parent(s)James Lenox-Conyngham Chichester-Clark
Marion Chichester
RelativesRobin Chichester-Clark (brother)
Penelope Hobhouse (sister)
EducationEton College
Alma materSandhurst
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/service British Army
Years of service1942–1960
RankMajor
UnitIrish Guards
Battles/warsWorld War II

James Dawson Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola, PC, DL (12 February 1923 – 17 May 2002) was the penultimate Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and eighth leader of the Ulster Unionist Party between 1969 and March 1971. He was Member of the Northern Ireland Parliament for South Londonderry for 12 years, beginning at the by-election to replace his grandmother, Dame Dehra Parker in 1960. He stopped being an MP when the Stormont Parliament was suspended and subsequently abolished with the introduction of Direct Rule by the British Government.

Chichester-Clark's election as UUP leader resulted from the sudden resignation of Terence O'Neill after the ambiguous result of the preceding general election. His term in office was dominated by both internal unionist struggles, seeing the political emergence of Ian Paisley from the right and Alliance Party of Northern Ireland from the left, and an emergent Irish nationalist resurgence. In March 1971, with his health suffering under the strain of the growing political strife, he resigned, having failed to secure extra military resources from the British Government.