Career
His election saw the Unionist majority against Labour slashed from 8,907 in 1949 to 1,662. In 1958 he narrowly lost the seat to David Bleakley. The same year he was appointed, at Ulster Television, to the executive position of director, before taking up the post of managing director of the Belfast Newsletter and then moving to Chairman of Century Newspapers in 1964.
Henderson"s family owned the Newsletter from 1844 until 1991.
Century Newspapers, the holding company, sold the title to Thompson Regional Newspapers in 1991 as the family could no longer guarantee the viability of the paper following Bill Henderson"s retirement despite attempts to hire suitably qualified management
Between 1970 and 1981 he was President of Knock Motor Cycle & Carolina Club in Belfast and, in Spring 2005, became a trustee of the Ulster Reform Club.