William Christie (Ulster politician)

{{short description|Politician and businessman in Northern Ireland}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}

{{Infobox Politician

| image=

| name= Sir William Christie

| term_start=1972

| term_end=1975

| predecessor=Joseph Foster Cairns

| successor=Myles Humphreys

| birth_date= 1 June 1913{{cite book |title= Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood|publisher=Burke's Peerage & Gentry |editor= Mosley, Charles |editor-link=Charles Mosley (genealogist) |edition=107 |year= 2003 |page= 786 |ref=Burke |isbn=0-9711966-2-1}}

| birth_place=Belfast, Ireland

| death_date = {{death date and age|2008|08|10|1913|06|1|df=yes}}

| constituency=

| party= Ulster Unionist Party

| office=Lord Mayor of Belfast

| order= 33rd

| spouse=

| website=

}}

Sir William Christie {{post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE|JP|DL}} (1 June 1913 – 10 August 2008) was an Ulster Unionist politician who served as Lord Mayor of Belfast.{{cite news|last= O'Hara|first= Victoria|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/exlord-mayor-sir-william-christie-dies-at-95-28444462.html|title=Ex-Lord Mayor Sir William Christie dies at 95|date= 14 August 2008|work=The Belfast Telegraph}}

The owner of a wallpaper company in Belfast, Christie was Lord Mayor of Belfast between 1972 and 1975. During this time his home and business were attacked several times, and his wife survived a gunshot to the head in 1972. His time in office coincided with the suspension of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, and he was therefore the first Lord Mayor since John White in 1920 not to serve as an ex officio member of the Senate.http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/hnisen.htm - Christie's predecessor did serve in the Senate, as did White's successor

In the 1973 elections to Belfast City Council Christie stood in the north-west Belfast 'E' division (equivalent to the current wards of Legoniel, Ballysillan, Ardoyne, Woodvale, Forthriver and Ballygomartin), which elected 6 councillors. He was the only UUP candidate to stand in E and gained 7,875 votes, which equated to 2.8 times the electoral quota.{{cite web|url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/73-81lgbelfast.htm|title=Local Government Elections 1973 - 1981: Belfast|website=www.ark.ac.uk}} He retired in 1977, and the UUP vote dropped more than 3000 votes. Amongst two UUP councillors elected to replace him was future Lord Mayor Billy Bell.