Career
Hendron, also a local General Practice physician for 40 years, was first elected as a political representative of Belfast West in 1975 to the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention. He was later elected to Belfast City Council in 1981 and in 1982 to the Northern Ireland Assembly. He had taken the seat from Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams at his third attempt with a majority of 1%.
He became the only nationalist Member of Parliament to defeat Adams.
The seat had previous been held for the Social Democratic and Labour Party by Gerry Fittlater Lord Fitt until 1983. Hendron attracted unprecedented cross-community support from Nationalists and Unionists in the constituency.
Adams regained the seat at the next election in May 1997. In 1996 Hendron was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum and in 1998 to the newly reconvened Northern Ireland Assembly.