1177 Thomas Russell

Constituency : South  Tyrone  1886 -1910  ( Liberal  Unionist  then  Independent  Unionist  from  1906 ) North  Tyrone  1911-18 )

Thomas  took  South  Tyrone  from  the  Nationalists  as  a  Liberal  Unionist.

Thomas  was  born  in  Scotland  but  moved  to  Ireland  when  he  was  eighteen  and  soon  became  known  as  a  temperance  agitator. He  ran  a  Temperance  Hotel  in  Dublin. In  1885  he  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  at  Preston  but  became  a  Liberal  Unionist  in  1886.

Between  1895  and  1900  he  served  as  Parliamentary  Secretary  to  the  Local  Government  Board.

As  the  century  turned  Thomas  became  more  critical  of  government  policy  in  Ireland. In  1900  he  founded  the  Farmers  and  Labourers  Union  to  demand  compulsory  land  purchase  in  Ulster. He  published  the  tract  "Ireland  and  the  Empire"  in  1901. He  was  a  representative  at  the  Dublin  "Land  Conference"  in  1903  which  led  to  the  passing  of  the  Land  Purchase  Act  of  1903. He  had  the  support  of  two   other  " independent  Unionists"  elected  in  by-elections  and  from  1904  they  were  known  as   "Russellite  Unionists".

Thomas  was  re-elected  as  an  Independent  Unionist  himself  in  1906  but  was  defeated  by  a  Liberal  Unionist  in  January  1910.

Thomas  was  elected  as  a  Liberal  at  a  by-election  at  North  Tyrone  in  1911.

Thomas  was  created  a  baronet  in  1917. He  retired  in  1918.

He  died  in  1920  aged  79.