John William Nixon
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John William Nixon MBE (1880 – 11 May 1949) was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland who was alleged to be responsible for several atrocities, including the McMahon killings.
Born in Graddum, County Cavan, Nixon became a district inspector in the Royal Irish Constabulary, and transferred to its successor in the new province of Northern Ireland, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). By 1922, he was responsible for controlling access to the Roman Catholic Ardoyne and "Bone" areas of Belfast, and worked closely with the Ulster Special Constabulary.
Irish nationalist writer and activist Michael Farrell has alleged that during this period he led the Cromwell Club, an unofficial organisation of security officials responsible for killing several Catholic civilians.[1] These allegations have not been independently confirmed and during his lifetime Nixon successfully sued the Derry Journal and a book publisher for libel. Nixon was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1923 "... for services rendered by him during the troubled period."
In 1924, Nixon, long a member of the Orange Order, made a political speech at an Orange lodge. This contravened RUC regulations, and he was dismissed on the orders of Prime Minister James Craig.[1]
Nixon was elected to the Belfast Corporation as an Independent Unionist, but at the Northern Ireland general election, 1925, he stood unsuccessfully as an Ulster Unionist Party candidate in Belfast North. In 1929, running once again as an Independent Unionist, he was narrowly elected as the MP for Belfast Woodvale.[2] From September 1932 until the 1933 election, he was the only opposition MP attending the Parliament. Around this time, he joined the Ulster Protestant League, an organisation with a reputation for anti-Catholicism.[1]
Nixon held his seat until his death in 1949, denying the murder allegations against him until the end of his life.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Michael Farrell, Northern Ireland: The Orange State
- ↑ Northern Ireland Parliamentary Elections Results: Biographies
| Parliament of Northern Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by
New creation
|
Member of Parliament for Belfast Woodvale 1929 - 1949 |
Succeeded by Robert Harcourt |
- 1880 births
- 1949 deaths
- Members of the Parliament of Northern Ireland 1929–33
- Members of the Parliament of Northern Ireland 1933–38
- Members of the Parliament of Northern Ireland 1938–45
- Members of the Parliament of Northern Ireland 1945–49
- Members of the Parliament of Northern Ireland 1949–53
- Independent politicians in Northern Ireland
- People from Belfast
- Politicians from County Cavan
- Royal Irish Constabulary officers
- Royal Ulster Constabulary officers
- Anti-Catholicism in Northern Ireland
