Stratton Mills

William Stratton Mills (born 1 July 1932) is a retired solicitor and former politician in Northern Ireland.

He was the first Member of Parliament (MP) for the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland to sit in the British House of Commons, until Naomi Long won Belfast East in 2010.

Life

The son of Dr V.J.S. Mills, CBE, RM, Mills was educated at Campbell College, Belfast and Queen's University, Belfast. A solicitor by profession, Mills was elected as the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MP for Belfast North in the 1959 general election. He held his seat in subsequent elections, but in 1972 he refused to join the other UUP MPs in resigning the Conservative Party whip. He instead resigned from the UUP, describing himself as an independent Unionist and Conservative MP.[1]

In August 1969, at the outset of The Troubles, Mills travelled with Robin Bailie to the United States to counter the fund raising efforts of Bernadette Devlin, and to promote the Unionist point of view to an American audience.[2]

In 1973, Mills joined the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland.[3] He retired from the House in 1974. He lives in Malone Park, was partner in a solicitors firm, and currently serves on Northern Ireland's Historic Buildings Council, and is a member of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society and the Irish Georgian Society.[4]

References
  1. James Downey, "Stratton Mills to keep Tory party Whip", Irish Times, 1 February 1973
  2. Henry Raymont, "Ulster 'Truth Squad' Pursues Miss Devlin to U.S.", New York Times, 30 August 1969
  3. North Belfast 1950–1970 election results at ARK
  4. New Appointments to Historic Buildings Council
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
H. Montgomery Hyde		 Member of Parliament for Belfast North
1959 – 1974		 Succeeded by
John Carson


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