Thomas Bailie

Background

Bailie was born in Boston, United States of America, the son of William Bailie and Margaret Crooks - his family was from Newtownards, County Down.

Career

Returning to Northern Ireland, Bailie attended the Ward School, Bangor. He served on Bangor Borough Council from 1913 to 1953. When the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Lord Craigavon, died in 1940, Bailie was elected as his replacement in the 1941 by-election in North Down.

He held his seat in 1945 unopposed, was elected once more in 1949 as the UUP candidate (with a majority of 11,670 over the Labour Party candidate).

By 1953, Bailie was once more an independent. This time he was defeated by Robert Samuel Nixon, the UUP candidate, by 1,097 votes.

Achievements

• He won the seat as an independent Unionist defeating the UUP candidate.