1008 William Sinclair

Constituency : Antrim  1885 ; Falkirk  Burghs 1886-92 ( Liberal Unionist )

William  captured  the  solidly  Tory  seat  of  Antrim  in  a  hard-fought  by-election. William  stood  for  reform  of  Irish  government  without  Home  Rule  and  against  corercion  measures.  He  won  by  139  votes  which  was  a  considerable  surprise. The  Times  suggested   it  may  have  been  down  to  voter  apathy  with  the  general  election  so  close  and  the  Tories  not  taking  it  seriously  enough. The  Liberals  thought  William's  anti-coercion  stance  had  won  it.

William  was  born  in  Belfast  and  was  a  prominent  ship  owner  and  merchant.

Ironically  William's  first  speech  in  the  Commons  in  1887  was  in  support  of  an  anticipated  coercion  measure.

When  the  seat  was  abolished  in  1885  William  stood  for  Mid  Antrim  but  was  defeated.

In  1886  William  stood  for  Falkirk  Burghs  as  a  Liberal  Unionist  and  won  by  19  votes. He  had  not  been  in  the  Commons  for  the  crucial  vote  and  so  became  one  of  the  party's  first  "new"  MPs.

William  was  defeated  in  1892.

He  died  in  1900  aged  63.