Discover

Basilbrookeborough.jpg 'The Rt Hon The Viscount Brookeborough' Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland
Rank	3rd Prime Minister
Term of Office	May 1, 1943 - March 26, 1963
Predecessor	John Miller Andrews
Successor	Terence O'Neill
Date of Birth	June 9, 1888
Date of Death	August 18, 1973
Political Party	Ulster Unionist Party
Profession	Army officer

'Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough', Bt, KG, CBE, MC, PC (June 9 1888 – August 18 1973) was a British Ulster Unionist politician. He held several ministerial positions in the Government of Northern Ireland. He became the third Prime Minister of Northern Ireland in 1943 and held office until 1963.
Basil Stanlake Brooke was born on June 9 1888 in Colebrooke, Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, the eldest son of Sir Arthur Douglas Brooke, 4th Baronet, whom he succeeded as 5th Baronet on the latter's death in 1907. He was a nephew of Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke, CIGS during World War II. He was educated at Winchester College and Sandhurst. He was awarded the Military Cross and Croix de Guerre with palm for his service during World War I. In 1920 he left the British Army to farm his large estate at Colebrooke.

Contents

Political career

See also

Further reading

Political career

In 1921 he was elected to the Northern Ireland Senate, but he resigned the following year to become Commandant of the Ulster Special Constabulary in their fight against the IRA.
In 1929 he was elected to the Northern Ireland House of Commons as Ulster Unionist Party MP for the Lisnaskea division of County Fermanagh. In 1933 he was appointed Minister for Agriculture. In 1941 he became Minister for Commerce. In 1943 he succeeded John M. Andrews as Prime Minister.
Brooke resigned as Prime Minister in 1963 due to illness. However he remained a member of the Northern Ireland House of Commons until the 1969 general election, becoming the Father of the House in 1965. During his last years in the Commons he publicly opposed the liberal policy of his successor, Terence O'Neill, who wished for a better relationship with the Republic of Ireland and attempted to grant the civil rights demanded by Catholics.
Having been appointed CBE in 1921, Brooke was on July 1 1952 created Viscount Brookeborough, of Colebrooke, County Fermanagh. He was also later made a Knight of the Garter in 1965.
Lord Brookeborough died at his home in Colebrooke on August 18 1973.

See also

★ List of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Lords

Further reading

Brian Barton, ''Brookeborough: the making of a Prime Minister'', The Institute of Irish Studies, Queen's University, Belfast, 1988.