predecessor successor death_date religion constituency_mp nationality party birth_date term_start article_title term_end name
william johnston james chambers 1941 evangelical belfast south british independent unionist 1870 18 august 1902 thomas sloan
 10 january 1910 thomas sloan
thomas sloan

thomas henry sloan -lrb- 1870 -- 1941 -rrb- was an irish and british politician and founder of the independent orange order .
he represented the belfast south constituency as an independent unionist at the westminster parliament from 1902 to 1910 .
sloan first came to attention as a supporter of the working class evangelical protestant preacher arthur trew , and soon became a leading member of his belfast protestant association .
in 1901 , trew was sentenced to twelve months ' hard labour after he incited an anti-catholic riot , and sloan took over his sunday afternoon speeches on the steps of belfast customs house .
trew 's imprisonment had increased interest , and sloan was a superior speaker and organiser , and managed to secure his election at the belfast south by-election , 1902 , against the official unionist candidate .
in 1903 , sloan founded the independent orange order .
soon after , he reached an agreement with the irish unionist party and disassociated himself from the belfast protestant association .
