Constituency : Cavan 1865-74, North Armagh 1885-1906 ( Unionist )
Edward took one of the Cavan seats from the Tories unopposed as a Palmerstonian Liberal.
Edward's family had been politically active landlords in the area for generations but vacillated between Whig and Tory. He was educated abroad. In 1862 he joined the Royal Irish Fusiliers and rose to the rank of Colonel. He was a stern Evangelical churchman.
Edward's attitude to the Reform Bill crisis of 1866 was ambiguous. He voted for Lord Grosvenor's amendment but supported Gladstone over Dunkellin's amendment.
Edward voted against the disestablishment of the Irish Church.
As MP for Cavan Edward was critical of the Orange Order and cultivated Catholic support but he was defeated by a Home Ruler in 1874. He had in any case been planning to stand down but was dissuaded by supporters who thought he alone could withstand the tide.
Edward became disillusioned with Gladstonian Liberalism and returned for North Armagh as an Orange Conservative implacably opposed to Home Rule. He became leader of the Irish Unionist faction , semi-independent from the official Tory leadership. He was much in demand at by-elections as a Unionist spokesman. His Commons speeches on the subject earned him the nickname "The Dancing Dervish" although his good humoured Irish bonhomie was a bit of an act. In 1893 he signed the manifesto of the Ulster Defence Association. He faded from prominence after Gladstone's retirement becoming an ineffective landlords' spokesman when not incapacitated by ill-health.
Edward still regarded himself as a Liberal at heart describing himself as "a sound Liberal" at a public meeting in 1893.
Edward was a keen yachtsman.
He died, still an MP after an unopposed election , of pneumonia in October 1906 aged 69.
No comments:
Post a Comment