People We Hear About

New Zealand Tablet, 23 February 1911, Page 345

People We Hear About

Mr, T. P. O’Connor is the ‘father’ of the Irish Party, having sat-uninterruptedly in Parliament since 1880. Messrs. Dillon and J. J. Kelly entered the House the same year. Mr. William Redmond has had the longest unbroken term of membership of any Irish M.P. James Francis Hogan, secretary to the Colonial Party in the British Parliament, has seen life in various parts of the Kingdom, He was born in Tipperary fifty-five years ago, was taken to Australia by his parents when a child, and lived in the Commonwealth long enough to learn of its resourcs and attractions. He has written many books, history and fiction, and is now content to remain in London. Miss Johanna Redmond, daughter of John Redmond, the leader of the Irish Nationalists in the British House of Commons, is a rising author, who, though only twentytwo years old, is now preparing her second play for production in London. In her first dramatic effort, a oneact piece, the part of the heroine was played by her sister, Esther, who has recently married a New York doctor. Probably the most remarkable man who ever sat in the British Commons was Mr. Arthur Kavanagh, who, legless and armless, a mere trunk of a man, had to be carried into the House on the back of an attendant. Mr. Kavanagh was a hard worker and an excellent speaker, and made so light of his physical disqualifications that he was an ardent huntsman, a skilful shot and angler, and a daring explorer, who, among other wonderful feats, made his way, by Russia and Persia, to Bombay. The number of lawyers in the newly-elected Parliament is (says the Law Journal) practically the same as in the old. In January of last year 169 members of the legal profession were elected—l 39 barristers and 30 solicitors. The . late election resulted in the return of 163, lawyers —136 barristers and- 27 solicitors. It is pretty safe (adds the Law Journal) to state that the practising lawyers in the new House of Commons do not number more than 80, but, as a matter of fact, the members of Parliament who are active members of the legal profession are somewhat more numerous than they were.’ The New Year list of honors conferred by the King contained no mention of peerages (says the Glasgow Observer). Six new Privy Councillors are appointed, three a r f.-A 1 ■ , ng t he Master of Elibank, Mr. VVm. Abraham, M.i . ( Mabon, an ex-miner), and Mr. T. Shillington, of 1 ortadown, an Ulster Protestant Home Ruler. Baronetcies are conferred on nine gentlemen, among them being Mr. R. Balfour, M.P., Partick; and Mr. H. H. Raphael, AL.I ~ a wealthy Jewish gentleman connected with London banking. Twenty-five new knighthoods are created, the recipients including Mr. George Green (of the Prudential Insurance Company), a well known, Scottish Liberal: Mr. Joseph Lyons (of Lyons’ tea rooms); Mr. H. J. Wood a popular musical conductor Mr. J. P. Lynch, and Mr; J. M Redmond, M. D., of Dublin. Mr. Lynch is a Dublin solicitor. Dr. Redmond is an ex-President of the Royal College of Physicians, Ireland. He is a Catholic. The colonial honors include a baronetcy for Dr. Jameson, the leader of the ‘ Jameson Raid.’ .. L°rd Willoughby de Eresby by the death of his father, the Earl of Ancaster, and his elevation to the Peerage will be yet another addition to the considerable number of persons who in political history have been elected to be members of the Houses of Commons in which they have not been destined to sit (says the Edinburgh Catholic Herald). Lord V\ ilioughby de Eresby was elected in the recent General Election as Tory member for the Horncastle Division of Lincolnshire, and will accordingly never sit in the new House of Commons. In 1877 the late Sir Bryan O’Loghlen was elected as member for Clare when in Australia, but never sat in the House of Commons, of which he was a member for two years, till his seat became vacant on his acceptance of the position of Attorney-General of Victoria. At the General Election of 1885, Mr. McKane a professor in the Queen’s College, was elected in the Orange interest for one of the divisions of Armagh, and thereby vacated his professorship. He died before the meeting of ament. The most curious instance of all is probably the case of Mr. Anderson, now dead, who at a by-election m the autumn of 1905, was elected for the Barkston Ash Division of Yorks in tne Radical interest. The Parliament was prorogued and never met, being dissolved in the follow. mg December, and at the General * Election of 1906 Mr Anderson lost the seat for which he had never sat and had no opportunity of sitting, for he had not been a member of the House of Commons during a single day when it had b | e n>n session. The cases of persons, as in the instances of 0 Donovan Rossa John Mitchel, and Michael Davitt who have been„ elected to Houses of Commons for which they were held to be disqualified as unpardoned felons’ are, of course, fresh in the public memory.