John Fee (politician)

John Fitzgerald Fee (7 December 1963 – 10 November 2007) was an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Newry and Armagh from 1998 to 2003.

John Fee
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Newry and Armagh
In office
25 June 1998 – 26 November 2003
Preceded byNew Creation
Succeeded byPatricia O'Rawe
Personal details
Born(1963-12-07)7 December 1963
Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland
Died11 November 2007(2007-11-11) (aged 43)
Crossmaglen, South Armagh, Northern Ireland
Political partySDLP
Alma materQueen's University Belfast

Career

Born in Newry, County Down, Fee was educated at St Patrick's Primary School in Crossmaglen, South Armagh, and St Colman's College, Newry before attending Queen's University Belfast. He worked as the Editor of the Creggan Historical Journal from 1986 before in 1988 becoming the Parliamentary Research Assistant to Seamus Mallon, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Member of Parliament for Newry and Armagh.

Fee was elected to Newry and Mourne District Council for the SDLP in 1989, and in 1998 was chosen as one of Northern Ireland's representatives on the European Committee of the Regions. He served on the Rural Development Council for Northern Ireland from 1990 to 1994. Fee was physically assaulted, apparently by republicans in 1994,[1] shortly he made criticisms of the IRA over a mortar attack carried out in his home village of Crossmaglen.[2]

In 1996 he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Northern Ireland Forum election in Newry and Armagh.[3] At the 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election, he was elected for Newry and Armagh.[4] He sat on the Assembly Commission, which was in charge of the Assembly's organisation and financial management; as such he introduced the Financial Assistance for Political Parties Bill,[5] which became the first Bill to pass into law through the Assembly.

He lost his Assembly seat at the 2003 election.[6] He did not contest his council seat in 2005.[7]

Death

Fee died on 10 November 2007 as a result of a brain tumour.[8]

References
  1. CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1994
  2. Dáil Éireann - Volume 441 - 12 April, 1994 - Adjournment Debate. - Crossmaglen, Armagh, Security Archived 2011-06-07 at the Wayback Machine, historical-debates.oireachtas.ie; accessed 9 December 2016.
  3. Northern Ireland elections
  4. Biography - John Fee Archived 2007-11-18 at the Wayback Machine, Northern Ireland Assembly
  5. Official Report, Northern Ireland Assembly, 6 December 1999 Archived 18 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. Newry and Armagh, Northern Ireland Elections
  7. Newry & Mourne District Council Elections, 1993 - 2005, Northern Ireland Elections
  8. Former SDLP assembly member dies, bbc.co.uk; accessed 9 December 2016.
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