Faulkner, Brian (1921-1977), was prime minister of Northern Ireland from 1971 until the position was suspended in March 1972. Until the end of 1973, the United Kingdom government ruled Northern Ireland directly from London. For a few months in 1974, Faulkner was chief minister of a government body called the Northern Ireland executive. This executive collapsed after a strike by Protestants who opposed it, and direct rule resumed.
Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner was born in Belfast, in what is now Northern Ireland, on Feb. 18, 1921. He was educated at St. Columba’s College, Dublin, Ireland. From 1941 until 1963, he was a director of his family’s firm of shirt and collar manufacturers. In 1949, he became a member of the Stormont (Northern Ireland) Parliament. Faulkner served as government chief whip and parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Finance from 1956 to 1959. In 1959, he became minister of home affairs. From 1963 to 1969, as minister of commerce, Faulkner attracted many new industries to Northern Ireland. From 1969 until 1971, he was minister of development.
Faulkner became a life peer in January 1977. He died on March 3, 1977.
