John Hume was a towering figure in the twentieth century who was instrumental in the Northern Ireland peace process. Many people believe he is the only person who could have single-handedly managed the peace process, and he has been recognized for using non-aggressive and diplomatic techniques to achieve various political goals. He is recognized for his ability to guide his country in the right way during a period when North Ireland was in shambles. Unlike many of his fellow politicians and activists, he was convinced that the path of peace and reconciliation would not only stop the conflict in his homeland, but also pave the way for a healthy future in which the next generation would not be subjected to the slaughter he witnessed. Hume, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is a true hero who played a key role in putting an end to decades of conflict and forever changing the course of his country. He struggled against all odds, including death threats, to achieve his one and only goal: Northern Ireland peace. His work, however, did not finish there; he continues to be involved in a number of socio-political issues that affect the global population, and he speaks at a number of meetings and conferences dedicated to this aim.
Childhood and Adolescence
Hume was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, and studied at St. Columb’s College and St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, which is considered one of the top Catholic institutes for priestly studies.
He returned to his hometown to work as a teacher after earning his M.A.
Career of John Hume
He became interested in the credit union movement in his area and participated in the civil rights movement in the 1960s while working as a teacher. He was a member of the Derry Credit Union’s inaugural board of directors.
He was elected President of the ‘Irish League of Credit Unions,’ a trade group for credit unions, at the age of 27 in 1964. He was the first and only individual ever to preside over the body.
He campaigned for the Nationalist Party in the 1960s, but quit in 1964 to join the National Democratic Party, which sought to unite Ireland.
In 1969, he was elected as an Independent Nationalist to the Northern Ireland Parliament, and in 1973, he was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
He was appointed Minister of Commerce for a brief while the following year, and in 1979 he was elected leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). He was also a member of the Northern Ireland delegation to the European Parliament.
He obtained an honorary degree in 1995 after serving as a faculty member at Boston College in the United States.
On February 4, 2004, he resigned as the head of the SDLP and announced his retirement from politics in a public statement. He currently gives multiple public talks in various regions of the world on global topics.
Major Projects of John Hume
While serving as Minister of Commerce, he was a key figure in the signing of the ‘Sunningdale Agreement,’ which established a power-sharing arrangement between Northern Ireland and Ireland on December 9, 1973.
The Anglo-Irish Agreement was paved by covert talks between Hume and the British government and Sinn F in, an Irish republican political organization in Northern Ireland. The agreement was reached in order to aid in the peace process in Northern Ireland.
In 1993, he issued the ‘Hume-Adams declaration,’ which called for an end to the military conflict and a truce with the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Following that, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Northern Ireland commenced peace talks, which resulted in the Belfast Agreement. One of the most significant political peace procedures of the 1990s was the Belfast Agreement.
Achievements & Awards
Hume was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for his efforts to the peace process in Northern Ireland, which was at the time tumultuous.
On October 22, 2010, he was named Ireland’s greatest person.
For his efforts in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, he earned the Martin Luther King Award in 1999 and the International Gandhi Peace Prize in 2001.
Pope Benedict XVI awarded him the Knight Commander of the Papal Order of St. Gregory the Great in 2012.
Personal History and Legacy
He and Patricia have five children, three daughters and two sons.
Estimated Net Worth
John is one of the wealthiest politicians and one of the most well-known. John Hume’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.
Trivia
This renowned Irish politician is the only person to win three major peace awards: the Nobel Peace Prize (1998), the Gandhi Peace Prize, and the Martin Luther King Award (both in 2005).