John William Nixon

Who was John William Nixon?

John William Nixon MBE was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland.

Born in Graddum, County Cavan, Nixon became a district inspector in the Royal Irish Constabulary, and transferred to its successor in the new polity of Northern Ireland, the Royal Ulster Constabulary. By 1922, he was responsible for controlling access to the Roman Catholic Ardoyne and "Bone" areas of Belfast, and worked closely with the Ulster Special Constabulary.

Irish nationalist writer and activist Michael Farrell has alleged that during this period he led the Cromwell Club, an unofficial organisation of security officials responsible for killing several Catholic civilians. These allegations, however, have not been independently confirmed and during his lifetime Nixon successfully sued the Derry Journal and a book publisher for libel. Nixon was made a member of the British Empire in 1923 "... for services rendered by him during the troubled period."

In 1924, Nixon, long a member of the Orange Order, made a political speech at an Orange lodge. This contravened RUC regulations, and he was dismissed on the orders of Prime Minister James Craig.