predecessor successor death_date birth_place death_place children religion nationality party office profession birth_date term_start spouse image article_title term_end name
brian faulkner frank mcmanus thomas nelson james molyneaux frank maguire abolished 05 february 2004 enniskillen , ireland enniskillen , northern ireland 7 presbyterian british ulster unionist party leader for fermanagh and south tyrone member of parliament for enniskillen of the ulster unionist party member of parliament farmer 27 march 1917 22 january 1974 28 february 1974 8 may 1954 maureen hall harrywest.jpg harry west
 7 september 1979 10 october 1974 18 july 1973 harry west
harry west

henry william west -lrb- 27 march 1917 -- 5 february 2004 -rrb- was a politician in northern ireland who served as leader of the ulster unionist party from 1974 until 1979 .
west was born in county fermanagh and educated at portora royal school in enniskillen .
he worked as a farmer , taking an interest in local government , but it was not until 1954 that he entered stormont as member for the enniskillen seat , succeeding thomas charles nelson .
in 1960 he was appointed minister of agriculture in the government of lord brookeborough , which he was to retain under terence o'neill .
however in 1967 he was dismissed for ministerial impropriety involving the purchase of land he knew was to be purchased by fermanagh county council for the development of enniskillen/st angelo airport .
he became one of a number of stormont mps critical of leader terence o'neill 's conciliatory approach towards nationalists and in 1969 he had the whip withdrawn , along with william craig .
in 1971 the whip was restored under the new ulster unionist leader and prime minister of northern ireland brian faulkner .
west became minister of agriculture once more and retained that position until the stormont government was dissolved in 1972 .
he was married to maureen hall and they had four sons and three daughters .
he was a presbyterian .
