David Cook (politician)

David Sommerville Cook (born 1943/1944) is a former politician in Northern Ireland.

Cook works as a solicitor, eventually becoming a senior partner at Sheldon and Stewart Solicitors.^[1]

In 1970, Cook was a founder member of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI),^[2] while he was elected to the party's Central Executive in 1971.^[3]

He was elected to Belfast City Council in 1973,^[4] a position he held until 1985.^[5] In 1978, he became the first non-Unionist Lord Mayor of Belfast since partition (the pro-Home Rule Liberal William James Pirrie having held the post in the 1890s).^[6]

He stood for APNI in Belfast South in the February 1974 general election, taking just under 10% of the vote.^[7] He was able to improve to 27% of the vote at the Belfast South by-election, 1982. Following this, he won a seat on the Northern Ireland Assembly representing Belfast South.

In the 1983 general election, 1986 by-election and 1987 general election, he consistently won over 20% of the votes cast in Belfast South. He also stood for Alliance in the 1984 European Parliament election, but took only 4% of the vote.^[7] From 1980-84, Cook served as the Deputy Leader of APNI.^[1]

In 1994, Cook became the Chairman of the Police Authority of Northern Ireland, but he was sacked from this role in 1996 after losing a vote of confidence.^[8] After a critical account of his role appeared in 1998, he undertook a lengthy libel case, ultimately settled out of court.^[9] He subsequently sat on the Craigavon Health and Social Services Trust.^[10]

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