Career
A graduate of the Queen's University of Belfast in 1976 and working on a Doctorate for the University of Oxford, Edgar Graham was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland. He became a member of the Queen's University Belfast law faculty (from 1979), lecturing in public law, and was a law faculty colleague of David Trimble. A former Chairman of the Ulster Young Unionist Council, Graham was widely seen as a possible future leader of the UUP.
A member of the Ulster Unionist Party since joining the Ballymena branch at the age of 14 he progressed through the party. Contrary to some statements he was never a member of Vanguard and had no sympathy with its activities. As Leader of the Young Unionists he revived that part of the Party and was quickly seen as representing a new enlightened brand of Unionism. He continued this into the senior party. In 1982 he addressed the Conservative Party Conference on the subject of Northern Ireland and was singled out as a leader of the future. This led to international invitations such as to Harvard Summer School for leading young lawyers. He was critical of both the British government's perceived indecisiveness and (more quietly) the UUP leadership under James Molyneaux
Graham was elected a member of the 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly for South Belfast.
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