Joe Gaston

Joe Gaston (born 1926 or 1927) is a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.

Gaston worked as a farmer and served part-time in the Ulster Defence Regiment.^[1] In 1973, he was elected to Ballymoney Borough Council as a non-party candidate. He was re-elected in 1977, for the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).^[2]

In December 1977, Gaston's right leg was removed by a bomb planted in his tractor by the Provisional Irish Republican Army.^[1][3]

Gaston was elected at the 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly election in North Antrim.^[4] In 1985, he served as Deputy Mayor of Ballymoney, then as Mayor from 1986–87 and 1990 – 93.

At the 1992 general election, Gaston contested Ian Paisley's North Antrim seat, taking second place with 18.1% of the votes cast.^[5] In 1996, he was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum, again in North Antrim,^[6] and served his final term as Mayor of Ballymoney.

Gaston lost his council seat to Sinn Féin's Daithi McKay in 2005.^[7]

References

1. 1 2 Suzanne Breen, "The forgotten victims of the Troubles", Sunday Tribune, May 2006 Archived 4 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
2. ↑ The Local Government Elections 1973–1981: Ballymoney, Northern Ireland Elections
3. ↑ Belfast Today
4. ↑ North Antrim 1973–1982, Northern Ireland Elections
5. ↑ North Antrim, 1983–1992, Northern Ireland Elections
6. ↑ North Antrim, Northern Ireland Elections
7. ↑ Ballymoney Borough Council Elections 1993–2005, Northern Ireland Elections