Tributes to former Northern Ireland representative to Washington DC, Norman Houston

Tributes have been paid tribute to Northern Ireland’s former representative in Washington DC, Norman Houston.
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Mr Houston, who was former head of the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington DC, has passed away suddenly.

DUP MP Ian Paisley had known the Larne man for several decades.

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“I wish to express to the family of Norman Houston my deepest and sincere condolences on the sudden death of Norman,” he said. “To his son Connor and daughter Chloe in particular I express my sincere condolences.

Norman Houston OBE, former director of the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington D.C.Norman Houston OBE, former director of the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington D.C.
Norman Houston OBE, former director of the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington D.C.

“I have known Norman more than 20 years. In fact as Junior Minister I appointed him to his role as NI representative in Washington DC. This was a role that was made for him. He served NI with distinction for 15 years in that position. In reality he had access to the Whitehouse and the Hill that many national representative offices were jealous of.

“He was our man in America and he did more to promote NI there than anyone else. His like will not be seen again.”

UUP MLA Mike Nesbitt MLA tweeted: “Devastated to hear of the passing of Norman Houston who was our presence in Washington DC for so many years as head of the NI Bureau - and so successful at it. Well known and well respected in Capitol Hill and the White House.”

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SDLP Leader, Colum Eastwood MP, said he is stunned and saddened at Mr Hamilton’s sudden death.

“Norman represented the North in America for many years, during some of the most difficult and dark days. He did so with distinction, skill and generosity of spirit,” he said. “He was widely regarded as a formidable representative for Northern Ireland and there wasn’t a familiar face on Capitol Hill who didn’t greet him as an old friend. On a personal note, Norman was always kind and helpful to me when I travelled to North America and his support was so greatly appreciated.

The US Consulate in Belfast also paid tribute.

“We have been saddened to learn of the passing of our friend and colleague Norman Houston,” a spokesman said. “Norman spent sixteen years as a diplomat in Washington D.C and as Head of the Northern Ireland Bureau, he gained the respect of countless Americans at the highest levels of the White House, the Department of State and on Capitol Hill.

“As a tireless advocate for Northern Ireland, many of the mutually beneficial connections that we enjoy today are a direct legacy of Norman’s efforts.”

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First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill also expressed their sadness.

Mrs Foster said: “Norman was a consummate professional and a true ambassador for Northern Ireland. Throughout his time as Director of the Washington Bureau he made an enormous contribution to promoting Northern Ireland on a global stage and I was privileged to work with him over many years.”

Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “Norman’s contribution to developing our relationship with the United States is immeasurable. He was an excellent diplomat who did an outstanding job of leading our Washington Bureau for more than a decade. He had an unforgettable presence and his name was known far and wide throughout the city and beyond.”

Former NIO special advisor, Lord Jonathan Caine, also paid tribute, Tweeting a photo of “the unflappable and stylish Norman Houston” with Theresa Villiers at a breakfast briefing at the British Ambassador’s residence in Washington DC in 2015.

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The Northern Ireland Bureau represents the Northern Ireland Executive in North America and is the nearest thing that Northern Ireland has to an embassy.

NI only has three such offices in the world, one in Washington, one in Brussels and one in Beijing.

From a working-class family background, the father of two came a long way from his days at the old Greenland Secondary School, now Larne High.

Speaking to the Larne Times in 2017, he said: “I still pinch myself about escorting the late Dr Paisley and the late Martin McGuinness into the Oval Office to see George W Bush. I had been allocated a fifteen-minute window but Dr Paisley and the President took to one another immediately and no one could break them apart as they were laughing and chatting so much. I was getting daggers from the chief of staff but there was absolutely nothing I could do. We were there for an hour, foreign heads of state are lucky to get half of that time”.

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Following that 2007 meeting he has facilitated similar meetings with President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Norman was also responsible for the first official visit to Brazil of the First and Deputy First Minister in 2013.

Looking back on his career at that time, Norman said he believed that his teachers at Greenland did much to inspire him.

He grew up in the 1960s and attended Larne and Inver Primary School, which he remembers with great affection; “It was a small school with very good teachers” he says.

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The senior civil servant said that his family - consisting of his mother and grandparents - were “hardworking people who always encouraged me to study at school”.

At the age of 17, Norman completed his education and elected to seek out employment, “I really should have gone on to do A Levels at the Grammar but I just wanted to work, I wanted a job with a career, “

He joined the Civil Service in July 1975, when the Troubles were at their height.

“I feel very privileged to be in the Civil Service, it’s provided me with a very interesting career. I’ve had some wonderful mentors and I’ve made lifelong friends” he said.

But he was not engaged in a nine to five job.

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“In this job, a sixty-hour week isn’t unusual and, as you are representing your country, you are always on duty.”

At that time he had been on two separate postings to Washington and attended three inaugurations, the most memorable being Barack Obama’s first inauguration, which his son Connor came over for.

“I distinctly remember seeing members of the black community crying in the street and one old gentleman was wearing a T-shirt stating: My President looks like me.’ When I saw that man, who must have been freezing in the cold of a Washington winter, it touched a raw nerve”.

Norman has spent close to a third of his career in the United States and events took him typically to Boston, New York, the Carolinas and also to Canada, which is also part of the Bureau responsibility.

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He saw plenty of connections with Northern Ireland in Toronto, where there are strong links to this part of the world with people who are in business and academics.

In the USA, the Ulster Scots community, which is very strong numerically, is sometimes seen as not very vocal and Norman believed this is because that community is not as political as Irish-Americans.

“If you go to the Carolinas or Georgia or Tennessee, people are very specific about being Ulster Scots. But that group of people is not political, whereas Irish Americans are - that is a big difference”.

His career carries with it a certain pressure but he says he would not change that: “I love the buzz of Washington and I love being Northern Ireland’s diplomat, representing the country.

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“I suppose at the end of the day I still see myself as a wee Larne man who had a solid upbringing based on a very strong moral code. I have had a wonderful career but the main lesson I’ve learned is never forget your roots”.

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