Background
He was born in Dublin. The son of David and Alice Babington, Robert Babington was educated at Saint Columba"s College, Dublin and Trinity College Dublin.
He was born in Dublin. The son of David and Alice Babington, Robert Babington was educated at Saint Columba"s College, Dublin and Trinity College Dublin.
He went in to spend most of his war service in and around the Mediterranean Sea and survived the sinking of HMS Dasher. He subsequently embarked on a career in law and politics in Northern Ireland. Although he argued in 1961 in favour of discrimination in favour of unionists in employment, Babington became known as a moderate within the UUP. He supported the principle of full and equal voting rights during his 1969 campaign and advocated the expulsion of any party member who refused to follow the edicts of the British government fully.
The collapse of the Parliament was the effective end of Babington"s career in politics and he left the Orange Order in 1973.
Babington was called to the bar in 1947 and was made a Queen's Counsel in 1965. During the early part of the Troubles Babington served as prosecuting counsel at a number of high=profile trials related to the conflict.
He was appointed as a county court judge in 1974, retiring in 1992.
He was a staunch critic of any Unionist involvement in political violence and a vocal opponent of Ulster nationalism.
Orange Order.