| David Brewster | |
| Office: | Member of the Northern Ireland Forum for East Londonderry |
| Term Start: | 30 May 1996 |
| Term End: | 25 April 1998 |
| Birth Date: | 1964 |
| Birth Place: | Limavady, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland |
| Party: | DUP (from 2003) |
| Otherparty: | Ulster Unionist (before 2003) |
David Brewster LL.B., (1964 – 20 January 2021)[1] [2] was a Northern Irish solicitor, unionist politician, community activist and historian from Limavady, County Londonderry.
Brewster came to prominence in the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) as a close associate of David Trimble. Unenthusiastic about Jim Molyneaux's leadership of the party, Brewster backed Trimble's successful candidacy in the September 1995 leadership election.[3] Brewster was already the Secretary of the East Londonderry Association of the party, and Trimble assisted him in winning election as one of the party's honorary secretaries in 1996.[4] Brewster claimed that Trimble also offered to help him take over as the Member of Parliament for East Londonderry from William Ross, a leading figure in the UUP but a critic of Trimble. However, Brewster did not want the role, and instead won a seat in the equivalent constituency on the Northern Ireland Forum.[5] He worked with Peter King and Dean Godson on the UUP's "Strand I" team at the talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement.[6]
Brewster was also active in the Orange Order and, like most UUP members who were prominent Orangemen, he became critical of Trimble's leadership, and opposed the Good Friday Agreement.[7] He joined the oppositionist Union First Group, and left the party in 2003 to join the rival Democratic Unionist Party.
Outside politics, Brewster worked as a solicitor and had his own practice in his hometown of Limavady[8] and served as president of the Roe Valley Chamber of Commerce from 2013-2016. He was also vice chairman of Limavady United Football Club and President of the William F. Massey Foundation.[9] [10]