Bertie McConnell explained

Bertie McConnell
Office:Member of North Down Borough Council
Constituency:North Down Area A
Term Start:30 May 1973
Term End:20 May 1981
Predecessor:Council established
Successor:Donald Hayes
Office1:Member of the Constitutional Convention
for North Down
Term Start1:1975
Term End1:1976
Office2:Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for North Down
Term Start2:1973
Term End2:1974
Office3:Member of the Northern Ireland Parliament
for Bangor
Term Start3:1969
Term End3:1973
Office4:Member of Bangor Borough Council
Term Start4:1958
Term End4:1973
Birth Date:27 March 1921
Birth Place:Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland
Death Date:28 May 1994
Party:Alliance Party (from 1972)
Otherparty:Independent Unionist (1958 - 1969)

Robert Dodd McConnell, known as Bertie McConnell (27 March 1921  - 28 May 1994[1]) was a Northern Irish politician and Army officer.

Background

McConnell was born in Bangor, County Down, and served in the British Army in World War II. Entering the Officer Training Corps in 1940 after dropping out from Queen's College, he was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps in 1941 as a Second Lieutenant. During the war, he lost sight in one eye and was discharged as a captain in March 1945.[2]

In 1958, McConnell was elected to Bangor Borough Council, serving until 1973. He was elected at the 1969 Northern Ireland general election, as an unofficial Unionist Member of Parliament for Bangor. Despite being an independent, he was a supporter of Ulster Unionist Party Prime Minister Terence O'Neill.

McConnell joined the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland alongside Phelim O'Neill and Tom Gormley in early 1972. He was elected to North Down Borough Council in 1973, and to the Northern Ireland Assembly for North Down. He held this seat on the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention in 1975, and served as the President of the Alliance Party in 1976.

McConnell stood down from his council seat in 1981[3] and took no further role in active politics.

References

  1. Web site: Lynn . Brendan . McConnell, Robert Dodd . Dictionary of Irish Biography . 4 September 2023.
  2. http://www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/biographies.html Biographies of Members of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
  3. http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/73-81lgnorthdown.htm The Local Government Elections 1973–1981: North Down