Edgar Graham - Solicitor murdered by the IRA because of his religion

Edgar Samuel David Graham, MPA, BL (1954 -- 7 December 1983), was an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician and academic from Northern Ireland. He was perceived as a rising star of both legal studies and Unionism until he was murdered in cold blood on 7 December 1983 by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).

A graduate of the Queen's University of Belfast in 1976 and working on a Doctorate for the University of Oxford, Edgar Graham was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland. He became a member of the Queen's University Belfast law faculty (from 1979), lecturing in public law, and was a law faculty colleague of David Trimble. A former Chairman of the Ulster Young Unionist Council, Graham was widely seen as a possible future leader of the UUP.

A member of the Ulster Unionist Party since joining the Ballymena branch at the age of 14 he progressed through the party. Contrary to some statements he was never a member of Vanguard and had no sympathy with its activities. As Leader of the Young Unionists he revived that part of the Party and was quickly seen as representing a new enlightened brand of Unionism. He continued this into the senior party. In 1982 he addressed the Conservative Party Conference on the subject of Northern Ireland and was singled out as a leader of the future. This led to international invitations such as to Harvard Summer School for leading young lawyers. He was critical of both the British government's perceived indecisiveness and (more quietly) the UUP leadership under James Molyneaux.

Graham was elected a member of the 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly for South Belfast.

In mid-morning on 7 December 1983, while chatting to UUP party and Queen's colleague Dermot Nesbitt at the University Square side of the main campus library, he was shot in the head a number of times by an IRA gunman and died almost instantly. He was 29 years old. Two persons were later convicted of withholding evidence from the British police, but no one was ever convicted for his murder.

In a communique taking responsibility for the killing, the IRA command said his killing should be a salutary lesson to those loyalists who stand foursquare behind the laws and forces of oppression of the nationalist people. IRA members said that Graham was targeted because of aid and advice he had reportedly given to the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

Graham had also gained attention for his strong arguments publicly supporting internment, the revocation of Special Category Status for republican prisoners, and the British government's network of informers.

He had been seen on BBC Northern Ireland, criticising the Thatcher government for not taking a hard enough line against Republican prisoners and hunger strikers.

After Graham's killing, an expression of sympathy was made by Seanad Éireann I would like the Seanad to note with horror and dismay the death of the Assemblyman, Edgar Graham, who was murdered outside Queen's University, Belfast, this morning. It has been said by a noted writer that in the death of every man each of us dies a little. I think this is horribly true for us here in Ireland today that for every one of these victims of violence not only do we die a little but our hopes for our country die a little with every one of these outrages.

The resultant Assembly by-election on 1 March 1984 was won unopposed by then Ulster Unionist Party Chief Executive Frank Millar Jr.

The UUP leader, Jim (later Lord) Molyneaux, remarked "Had Mr. Graham not been murdered he would have become the leader of our party, such was his calibre."

In honour and remembrance to Edgar Graham there is an inscription at the entrance of the debating hall at Stormont that reads: "IN MEMORY OF EDGAR SAMUEL DAVID GRAHAM ASSEMBLY MEMBER FOR BELFAST SOUTH 1982-1983. SHOT BY TERRORISTS ON 7 DECEMBER 1983. 'KEEP ALIVE THE LIGHT OF JUSTICE'."

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[hoopenhanger]

Edgar was one ugly bastard. In fact most of Irelands unionists are ugly bastards.