Simon Hamilton

{{Short description|British politician (born 1977)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}} {{Use British English|date=December 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Simon Hamilton | honorific_suffix = | image = Simon Hamilton mla 2015.jpg | image_size = 150px | alt = | office = Economy Minister of Northern Ireland | first_minister = Arlene Foster | term_start = 25 May 2016 | term_end = 26 January 2017 | predecessor = Jonathan Bell | successor = Diane Dodds (2020) | office2 = Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety | term_start2 = 11 May 2015 | term_end2 = 6 May 2016 | predecessor2 = Jim Wells | successor2 = Michelle O'Neill | office3 = Minister of Finance and Personnel | term_start3 = 29 July 2013 | term_end3 = 11 May 2015 | predecessor3 = Sammy Wilson | successor3 = Arlene Foster | caption = | office4 = Member of the Legislative Assembly<br>for Strangford | assembly4 = Northern Ireland | majority4 = | term_start4 = 7 March 2007 | term_end4 = 2 September 2019 | predecessor4 = George Ennis | successor4 = Harry Harvey<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eoni.org.uk/News/New-MLA-Strangford-Constituency |title=New MLA - Strangford Constituency |author= |date=28 August 2019 |website=The Electoral Office of Northern Ireland |access-date=4 November 2019 }}</ref> | office5 = Member of <br/> Ards Borough Council | constituency5 = Newtownards | term_start5 = 5 May 2005 | term_end5 = 5 May 2011 | predecessor5 = Hamilton Lawther | successor5 = Naomi Armstrong | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|3|17|df=yes}} | birth_place = Newtownards, Northern Ireland | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | birth_name = | party = Democratic Unionist Party (until 2019) | other_party = | spouse = Nicki | relations = | children = Lewis <br> Kyle | alma_mater = Queen's University Belfast | occupation = | profession = | cabinet = | website = [http://www.simonhamilton.org Official website] }}

'''Simon Hamilton''' (born 17 March 1977) is a Northern Irish businessman, consultant and former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician. Hamilton served as the Economy Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2016, until its collapse in January 2017.<ref name=NIA>{{cite web|title=Mr Simon Hamilton|url=http://aims.niassembly.gov.uk/mlas/details.aspx?&aff=2416&per=200&c=2|website=Northern Ireland Assembly|accessdate=17 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title = Simon Hamilton resigns four times in past three weeks|work = BBC News|date = 2 October 2015|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-34426811|accessdate = 2015-10-24}}</ref> He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Strangford from 2007 to 2019.

==Education== Hamilton was educated at Regent House School and Queen's University, Belfast holding degrees in history/politics and law.<ref name=itimes>{{cite news|title=Hamilton appointed as Northern Ireland's Minister for Finance|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/ireland/hamilton-appointed-as-northern-ireland-s-minister-for-finance-1.1478942|accessdate=14 September 2013|newspaper=Irish Times|date=30 July 2013}}</ref> He served as Chairman of the Queen's Unionist Association and as a member of Queen's University Senate.

==Career== Hamilton began his career as an auditor with an accountancy firm in Belfast<ref name=itimes/> and was employed as a DUP Policy Officer in their Party Headquarters from 2003 until his election to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2007.<ref name=bbc13/> He was elected to Ards Borough Council in 2005 but did not stand at the 2011 Election. Hamilton was secretary of Strangford DUP Association and vice-chairman of Newtownards DUP Branch.

He was appointed minister of finance and personnel and replaced Sammy Wilson on 29 June 2013 in a reshuffle.<ref name=bbc13>{{cite news|title=Simon Hamilton appointed new finance minister|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-23491145|accessdate=14 September 2013|publisher=BBC News |date=29 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title = DUP reshuffle: Foster, Bell and Hamilton in new jobs|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-32683194|publisher= BBC News|accessdate =24 October 2015}}</ref>

He was later appointed as the Health Minister of Northern Ireland in a further DUP reshuffle on 11 May 2015.<ref>{{cite news |title=DUP reshuffle: Foster, Bell and Hamilton in new jobs|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-32683194|publisher=BBC News |date=11 May 2015}}</ref> He resigned from this post several times during September and October 2015 in the context of a political crisis at Stormont.<ref name=NIA/><ref>{{cite news|title=Simon Hamilton resigns four times in past three weeks|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-34426811|publisher=BBC News |accessdate=17 January 2016|date=2 October 2015}}</ref>

In June 2019, Hamilton announced he was standing down from front line politics to become CEO of Belfast Chamber of Commerce. He also resigned from the DUP to take this role.<ref>{{cite news|title=DUP's Simon Hamilton quits politics to become Belfast Chamber boss|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/dups-simon-hamilton-quits-politics-to-become-belfast-chamber-boss-38262769.html|accessdate=2 September 2019|date=28 June 2019}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|group=note}} {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|ni/ass}} {{s-bef | before = George Ennis }} {{s-ttl | title = MLA for Strangford | years = 2007–2019 }} {{s-aft |after =Harry Harvey}}

{{s-off}} {{succession box | title = Minister of Finance and Personnel | before = Sammy Wilson | after = Arlene Foster | years = 2013–2015 }}

{{s-bef | before = Jim Wells }} {{s-ttl | title = Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety | years = 2015 – 2016 }} {{s-aft | after = Michelle O'Neill | as = Minister of Health }}

{{s-bef | before = Jonathan Bell }} {{s-ttl | title = Minister for the Economy | years = 2016 – 2017 }} {{s-vac | reason = Office suspended }} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Simon}} Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:People from Newtownards Category:Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Category:Democratic Unionist Party MLAs Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 2007–2011 Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–2016 Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 2016–2017 Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 2017–2022 Category:Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive (since 1999) Category:Members of Ards Borough Council Category:Ministers of finance and personnel of Northern Ireland