William Gibson (born 1859 or 1860) was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.
Gibson studied at the Royal University of Ireland before becoming a general practitioner.John F. Harbinson, The Ulster Unionist Party, 1882-1973, p.206 He was elected to local posts in Belfast; for example, becoming a Poor Law Guardian for Ballymacarrett in 1895.Ballymacarrett Poor Law Election, Hansard, 8 April 1895 He was the first commander of the 3rd East Belfast Regiment of the Ulster Volunteers,Timothy Bowman, Carson's Army: the Ulster Volunteer Force, 1910-22, p.98 and in the early 1910s served as Honorary Secretary of the Ulster Unionist Council.Constantine FitzGibbon, Red Hand: The Ulster Colony, p.256
Following the death of George Clark in 1935, Gibson was selected as the Ulster Unionist Party candidate for the Senate of Northern Ireland, and he defeated Robert Dorman, his Northern Ireland Labour Party opponent, by 35 votes to 5."New Ulster Senator", Daily Mirror, 1 May 1935, p.7 He was appointed as a Deputy Speaker in 1941, but resigned from the Senate the following year.The Northern Ireland Senate, 1921-72, Northern Ireland Elections
References