Michael Canavan

Education

Born in Derry, Canavan studied at Street Columb"s College in the city before entering business.

Career

By the 1960s, he owned a chain of bookmakers, a salmon-processing factory and a public in the city. He was treasurer of the University for Derry Committee in 1965, and worked with John Hume to try to attract industry to the area. An advocate of cr unions, Canavan founded the Derry Cr Union with Hume and chaired it from 1963 to 1966, following which he spent a year as a director of the Irish League of Cr Unions.

In 1968, he was elected as Chairman of the Derry Citizens" Action Committee, and was subsequently prominent in the Derry Citizens" Defence Association and chaired the Derry Citizens" Central Council.

Hume stood in Foyle as an independent and was elected. At the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973, he was elected for Londonderry, and he held his seat in 1975 on the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention.

He remained active in the Social Democratic and Labour Party for some time, and chaired Derry"s civic committee during the mid-1980s.

Achievements

• The following year, Canavan was a founder member of Social Democratic and Labour Party (Social Democratic and Labour Party), and served as its security spokesman for many years.

Politics

Canavan entered electoral politics as campaign manager for Hume at the Northern Ireland general election, 1969. However, he decided not to stand in the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1982, instead calling for the party to boycott to vote because there was no power-sharing in the proposed assembly.

Membership

1st Northern Ireland Assembly (1973–1974)]

Canavan"s brother Ivor was a prominent member of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland.