Thomas Scanlan
Encyclopedia
Thomas Scanlan was an Irish
barrister
and nationalist
politician. He was Member of Parliament
(MP) for North Sligo
from 1909 to 1918, as a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party
in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
.
, County Sligo, and educated at Summerhill College
in Sligo
and at the University of St Andrews
, Scotland
. In 1905 he married Mary Helen Mullen of Glasgow
, daughter of John Mullen.
He began his career as a journalist on the Glasgow Observer. Later he became a solicitor and eventually was called to the English Bar and became prominently identified with the Irish movement in London
.
in August 1909 after the death of Patrick McHugh MP. and was unopposed in the January and December 1910 general elections. At one time he served as a secretary of the Irish Parliamentary Party. In 1918 he lost his seat to J. J. Clancy of Sinn Féin
, by a margin of more than two to one.
Scanlan was responsible for the first successful bill prescribing use of the single transferable vote
(STV) for any part of the United Kingdom
, the Sligo Corporation Act 1918. Since 1911, when the Proportional Representation
Society of Ireland was formed, electoral reform had been seen as a way of ensuring that the Protestant minority in Ireland would be guaranteed effective participation in politics under Home Rule. The Home Rule Act 1914
contained partial provision for STV, but was never implemented. STV was however used for the elections for the new Corporation in Sligo in January 1919, in which the Ratepayers’ Association (consisting largely of Protestants) headed the poll and Sinn Féin came second. Proportional representation has subsequently been a key feature of politics in Ireland, both North
and South
.
from 1924 to 1927, resigning due to ill-health. Afterwards he resumed his practice at the Bar.
During his career he was a close friend of T. P. O'Connor, acting as a pall-bearer at the latter's funeral in 1929.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
politician. He was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for North Sligo
North Sligo (UK Parliament constituency)
North Sligo was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1922....
from 1909 to 1918, as a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...
in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
.
Early life
Son of Thomas Scanlan, a farmer, he was born at DrumcliffeDrumcliffe
Drumcliffe, officially Drumcliff , is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. It is 8 km north of Sligo town on the N15 road between Ben Bulben and the sea.-History:...
, County Sligo, and educated at Summerhill College
Summerhill College
Summerhill College is a Roman Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys in Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland.- History :...
in Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
and at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In 1905 he married Mary Helen Mullen of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, daughter of John Mullen.
He began his career as a journalist on the Glasgow Observer. Later he became a solicitor and eventually was called to the English Bar and became prominently identified with the Irish movement in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Political career
Scanlan was elected unopposed for North Sligo at a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in August 1909 after the death of Patrick McHugh MP. and was unopposed in the January and December 1910 general elections. At one time he served as a secretary of the Irish Parliamentary Party. In 1918 he lost his seat to J. J. Clancy of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
, by a margin of more than two to one.
Scanlan was responsible for the first successful bill prescribing use of the single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
(STV) for any part of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the Sligo Corporation Act 1918. Since 1911, when the Proportional Representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
Society of Ireland was formed, electoral reform had been seen as a way of ensuring that the Protestant minority in Ireland would be guaranteed effective participation in politics under Home Rule. The Home Rule Act 1914
Home Rule Act 1914
The Government of Ireland Act 1914 , also known as the Third Home Rule Bill, was an Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to provide self-government for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.The Act was the first law ever passed by the Parliament of...
contained partial provision for STV, but was never implemented. STV was however used for the elections for the new Corporation in Sligo in January 1919, in which the Ratepayers’ Association (consisting largely of Protestants) headed the poll and Sinn Féin came second. Proportional representation has subsequently been a key feature of politics in Ireland, both North
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and South
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Legal career
As a barrister, Scanlan represented the Seamen’s and Firemen’s Union at the inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. In the event the government paid the Union's costs, and on this account Scanlan was criticised in some quarters for accepting a government brief, although he had accepted the brief before he knew that the government would pay. He was also criticised for living in England. After his parliamentary defeat he was a London Metropolitan Police MagistrateMagistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
from 1924 to 1927, resigning due to ill-health. Afterwards he resumed his practice at the Bar.
During his career he was a close friend of T. P. O'Connor, acting as a pall-bearer at the latter's funeral in 1929.
Sources
- Dod's Parliamentary Companion 1912
- Irish Independent, 10 January 1930
- Patrick Maume, The Long Gestation: Irish Nationalist Life 1891-1918, New York, St Martin's Press, 1999
- Cornelius O'LearyCornelius O'LearyCornelius O'Leary was an Irish historian and political scientist.O'Leary was born in Limerick but was raised in Cork, where he attended University College Cork, gaining a first-class honours degree in history and Latin in 1949...
, Irish Elections 1918-1977: Parties, Voters and Proportional Representation, Dublin, Gill & MacMillan, 1979 - Brian M. Walker (ed.), Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922, Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, 1978
- Who Was Who, 1929-1940