1543 William Dodd

Constituency : North  Tyrone  1906-07

William  took  over  from  Charles  Hemphill,  defeating  the  Unionist  candidate  by  a  mere  9  votes.

William  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Belfast  and  became  a  barrister. He  was  a  staunch  Liberal  and  President  of  the  Statistical  and  Social  Inquiry  Society  of  Ireland  from  1894  to  1896. His  political  convictions  were  deemed  to  be  impeding  his  legal  career. He stood  for  the  Liberals  in  North  Antrim  in  1892  and  South  Londonderry  in  1895.

William  was  successful  in  1906  but  was  appointed  a  High  Court  judge  the  following  year  at  the  age  of  63. He found  difficulty  deferring  to  judges  who  were  much  younger  than  him. He  was  forcibly  retired  by  the  Courts  of  Justice  Act  1924  which  stipulated  a  retirement  age  of  72  and  he  was  80.

William  was  unkempt  in  appearance  and  lacked  social  graces. He  had  a  high  opinion  of  his  abilities  but  was  kind  to  others  and  did  not  bear  grudges.

He  died  in  1930  aged  85.