James Craig (County Antrim, 20th century)
{{other people|James Craig}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = James Craig
| office = Chief whip of the Democratic Unionist Party in the Northern Ireland Assembly
| leader = Ian Paisley
| term_start = 1973
| term_end = 1974
| predecessor = Position created
| successor = Position abolished
| office1 = Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for North Antrim
| term_start1 = 28 June 1973
| term_end1 = 1974
| predecessor1 = Assembly established
| successor1 = Assembly abolished
| office2 = Member of
Carrickfergus Borough Council
| constituency2 = Carrickfergus Area B
| term_start2 = 30 May 1973
| term_end2 = 2 November 1974
| predecessor2 = Council created
| successor2 = Desmond Scott
| birth_date = December 1931
| birth_place = Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
| death_date = 2 November 1974
| party = Democratic Unionist Party
(from 1971)
| otherparty = Independent Unionist
(1962 - 1971)
}}
James Anderson Craig (December 1931 – 2 November 1974){{cite book|last1=Elliott|first1=Sydney|last2=Flackes|first2=William D.|title=Conflict in Northern Ireland: An Encyclopedia|date=1999|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780874369892|page=218|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L6IUAQAAIAAJ&q=December+1931;+d.+2+November+1974.+Educated+at+Larne+Grammar+School.|access-date=5 June 2017|language=en}} was a Northern Irish unionist politician who was a founder member of, and early leading figure in, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
Background
Educated at Larne Grammar School, Craig became a foreman for the Courtaulds company.W.D. Flackes & S. Elliott, Northern Ireland: A Political Directory 1968–1999, by Sidney Elliott and W. D. Flackes. Blackstaff Press (1999); {{ISBN|0 8564 0628 7}}. Although outside the establishment of the Ulster Unionist Party, he was nonetheless able to gain local representation as an Independent Unionist, serving as a member of Carrickfergus Borough Council from 1962 onwards, including a spell as deputy mayor from 1973 to 1974. He also served as a member of the Northern Ireland Housing Council from 1973 to 1974.
He attempted to gain election to the Parliament of Northern Ireland for Carrick in the 1969 election but lost to the UUP's Anne Dickson However Craig's profile rose somewhat with the formation of the DUP in 1971. He was a founder member of the party and also sat on its executive until his death, whilst chairing the Carrickfergus branch of the party. As a consequence Craig was elected to the 1973 Assembly for North Antrim and was DUP chief whip.
References
{{Reflist}}
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{{s-par|ni/ass73}}
{{s-new | assembly}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Assembly Member for North Antrim
| years = 1973–1974
}}
{{s-non | reason = Assembly abolished }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, James}}
Category:Members of Carrickfergus Borough Council
Category:Democratic Unionist Party politicians
Category:Independent politicians in Northern Ireland
Category:Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly 1973–1974
Category:Place of death missing
Category:Politicians from County Antrim
Category:Date of birth missing