Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Name 	Entered office 	Left office 	Party 	Notes
William Whitelaw 	24 March 1972 	2 December 1973 	Conservative	
Francis Pym 	2 December 1973 	4 March 1974 	Conservative	
Merlyn Rees 	5 March 1974 	10 September 1976	Labour 	
Roy Mason 	10 September 1976	4 May 1979 	Labour 	
Humphrey Atkins 	5 May 1979 	14 September 1981	Conservative	
James Prior 	14 September 1981	11 September 1984	Conservative	
Douglas Hurd 	11 September 1984	3 September 1985 	Conservative	
Tom King 	3 September 1985 	24 July 1989 	Conservative	
Peter Brooke 	24 July 1989 	10 April 1992 	Conservative	
Sir Patrick Mayhew	10 April 1992 	2 May 1997 	Conservative	
Mo Mowlam 	3 May 1997 	11 October 1999 	Labour 	
Peter Mandelson 	11 October 1999 	24 January 2001 	Labour 	
John Reid 	25 January 2001 	24 October 2002 	Labour 	
Paul Murphy 	24 October 2002 	6 May 2005 	Labour 	
Peter Hain 	6 May 2005 	current incumbent	Labour