Ian Paisley summary

Ian Paisley, (born April 6, 1926, Armagh, County Armagh, N.Ire.—died September 12, 2014, Belfast, N.Ire.), militant Protestant leader and first minister of Northern Ireland (2007–08). After being ordained in the Reformed Presbyterian Church (1946), he cofounded a new sect, the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster (1951), which soon grew to more than 30 churches. In the 1960s he became the voice of extreme Protestant opinion in the sectarian strife of Northern Ireland, being opposed to any concessions to Roman Catholics. He led demonstrations throughout Northern Ireland and was repeatedly imprisoned for unlawful assembly. Elected to the British House of Commons in 1970, he cofounded the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in 1971 and also organized a Protestant paramilitary group called the Third Force. After the suspension of the Northern Ireland government and the introduction of direct rule from Westminster in 1972, he opposed a succession of agreements that called for power sharing between Roman Catholics and Protestants: the Sunningdale Agreement (1973), the Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985), and the Good Friday Agreement (1998). He won a seat in the new Northern Ireland Assembly that the latter accord had established, though he continued to refuse to participate in negotiations with Sinn Féin, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). In the early 21st century, as the IRA distanced itself from violence and as Sinn Féin’s political power grew, Paisley made modest overtures to the party. Following the 2007 elections, in which the DUP won 36 seats and Sinn Féin 28, the two parties reached a historic agreement to form a power-sharing government. On May 8, 2007, Paisley became first minister of Northern Ireland. In June 2008 he stepped down as first minister and as head of the DUP. In 2010 he chose not to stand for reelection to the House of Commons. Paisley also served as a member of the European Parliament (1979–2004).