John Ferguson (Northern Ireland politician)

Ferguson was born in Belfast in June 1911 and studied at the Moravian School. He worked as a fruit merchant, becoming chairman of the Retail Fruit Federation of Northern Ireland, and also as a volunteer social workers within Toc H, then joined the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). He stood for the UUP in Belfast Oldpark at the 1965 Northern Ireland general election, and took 40.5% of the vote, but was not elected. In 1967, he became a Justice of the Peace.^[1]

Ferguson was a founder member of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, and won a seat on Belfast City Council at the 1973 Northern Ireland local elections. He was also successful in Belfast North at the 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election, but when he stood in the equivalent Westminster constituency at the October 1974 general election, he took only 8.1% of the vote.^[1] He stood again in Belfast North for the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention, but he narrowly missed re-election.^[2]