William Joseph Humphrey (born 17 October 1967) is a former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Belfast from 2010 to 2022. He was a Belfast City Councillor for the Court DEA from 2005 to 2013.
Background Born in the Woodvale area of Belfast, Humphrey studied at the Boys' Model School. A member of the Woodvale Residents' Association, he joined the Democratic Unionist Party, becoming its chairman in North Belfast, and a member of the party's executive."Humphrey chosen to replace Dodds", Belfast Telegraph, 14 September 2010 He was elected to Belfast City Council in the Court district at the 2005 Northern Ireland local elections,Belfast City Council Elections 1993-2005, Northern Ireland Elections then served as High Sheriff of Belfast in 2006.New High Sheriff of Belfast to be sworn in, Belfast City Council
At the 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election, Humphrey stood in North Belfast, but was not elected.North Belfast, Northern Ireland Elections He moved to contest West Belfast at the UK general election, 2010, but took only 7.6% of the votes cast. In June, he became Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast.Deputy Lord Mayor profile , Belfast City Council website; accessed 28 July 2016.
In September 2010, he was selected to replace Nigel Dodds in the Northern Ireland Assembly, representing North Belfast and was elected at the 2011 Assembly election. Referencing his predecessor, Humphrey said, "Nigel has a proven track record of dedicated hard work on the ground, making a difference in peoples' lives within the Constituency...That will be the record I will strive to emulate."
Humphrey was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for public service, particularly during the COVID-19 response.
In 2022, Humphrey announced that he would not contest the 2022 Assembly election.
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