David Cook (Northern Ireland politician)

David Somerville Cook (January 1944 – 19 September 2020) was a Northern Irish politician. He was a member of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), which he helped found.[1] He was elected to Belfast City Council in 1973 and left office in 1985.[2] From 1982 to 1986, he was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

In 1978, he became the first non-Unionist Lord Mayor of Belfast.[3] He ran multiple times to become a member of parliament, but never won an election.

On 20 September 2020 it was announced that Cook had died after being diagnosed with COVID-19.[4] He died on 19 September 2020 at a Craigavon hospital, aged 76.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Cook raps 'mean spirited unionism'". Belfast Telegraph. 11 February 1997. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "The Local Government Elections 1973–1981: Belfast". Ark.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  3. ↑ "A Chronology of the Conflict-1978". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "David Cook: Former Belfast Lord Mayor dies with Covid-19". BBC News. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  5. ↑ "Tributes paid to founding member of Alliance Party and former Lord Mayor of Belfast David Cook following death from Covid-19". Belfast Telegraph. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.