17 Facts About Nelson McCausland

Nelson McCausland was born on 15 August 1951 and is a former Democratic Unionist Party politician from Northern Ireland, who was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for North Belfast from 2003 until he lost his seat in 2017.

Nelson McCausland was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and was educated at Carr's Glen Primary School, Belfast Royal Academy, Worcester College, Oxford and Queen's University.

Nelson McCausland finally succeeded in gaining election for the Castle area in 1989, taking the seat of Alfie Redpath, the by-election victor of five years before.

Around this time Nelson McCausland briefly served as a member of the Ulster Independence Committee.

Nelson McCausland was re-elected in 1993 as an Independent Unionist but announced the week after the election that he would join the Ulster Unionist Party and became the High Sheriff of Belfast in 1997.

Nelson McCausland was a candidate for the UUP in the 1996 Northern Ireland Forum elections, but was placed third on the UUP list, effectively giving him no chance of election.

Nelson McCausland attempted to dislodge Cecil Walker as North Belfast MP during the 1990s.

Nelson McCausland represented the Council on the Ulster Museum and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and he was for some years a member of the Community Relations Council.

Nelson McCausland stepped down as a councillor in November 2010.

Nelson McCausland was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2003 to 2017.

Nelson McCausland was suspended twice from the Assembly for unparliamentary language in respect of allegations of Provisional IRA membership made against the Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams.

Nelson McCausland was a member of the Bill of Rights Forum, which was set up by the Northern Ireland Office, after the St Andrews Agreement, to advise on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

In January 2021, Nelson McCausland faced calls to resign from the Education Authority after sharing an article on Facebook about Becket Cook, an American who lived as a gay man until he became a born-again Christian.

Nelson McCausland was chairman of The Ulster-Scots Heritage Council when it was formed in 1995 and was then the director of the USHC from 1997 until his election to the Assembly in 2003.

Nelson McCausland served as DUP spokesman and Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure.

Nelson McCausland takes a particular interest in culture and arts and was chair of the Assembly's Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee.

Nelson McCausland is a member of Cross of Saint Patrick LOL 688 and Royal Black Knights of Patrick RBP 146 and was for some years convenor of the Education Committee of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.