Political career

James Douglas was an Irish nationalist Quaker who managed the Irish White Cross from 1920 to 1922. He was appointed by Michael Collins

Michael Collins (Irish leader)

Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...

 as chairman of the committee to draft the Irish Free State Constitution (1922-36) following the Irish War of Independence

Irish War of Independence

The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...

.

Douglas went on to become a very active member of Seanad Éireann

Seanad Éireann (Irish Free State)

Seanad Éireann was the upper house of the Oireachtas of the Irish Free State from 1922–1936. It has also been known simply as the Senate, or as the First Seanad. The Senate was established under the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State but a number of constitutional amendments were...

 between 1922 and 1936 under the constitution he had helped to prepare. In 1922 he was elected as the first Vice-Chairman of the Senate. The Senate was abolished in 1936 and re-established under the terms of the 1937 Constitution

Constitution of Ireland

The Constitution of Ireland is the fundamental law of the Irish state. The constitution falls broadly within the liberal democratic tradition. It establishes an independent state based on a system of representative democracy and guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected...

; he was again an active Senator between 1938 and 1943. The topics most associated with him during his work as Senator were international refugee

Refugee

A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...

s and the League of Nations

League of Nations

The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...

.

Family

He was the eldest of nine children of John Douglas (1861–1931), originally of Grange, County Tyrone

County Tyrone

Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...

, and his wife, Emily (1864–1933), daughter of John and Mary Mitton of Gortin, Coalisland

Coalisland

Coalisland is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 4,917 people . As its name suggests, it was formerly a centre for coal mining.-History:...

, County Tyrone

County Tyrone

Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...

. The genealogy of the Douglas family to which he belonged can be traced to Samuel Douglas of Coolhill, Killyman

Killyman

Killyman is a civil parish in Northern Ireland, situated on the eastern boundary of County Tyrone and extending into County Armagh. 37 of its 43 townlands are in Tyrone; the River Blackwater separates the two counties...

, County Tyrone.

On 14 February 1911, Douglas married Georgina (Ena) Culley (1883–1959), originally of Tirsogue, Lurgan

Lurgan

Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and in the north-eastern corner of the county. Part of the Craigavon Borough Council area, Lurgan is about 18 miles south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway...

, County Armagh

County Armagh

-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...

. Their children were John Harold Douglas

John Douglas (Irish politician)

John Harold Douglas was a member of Seanad Éireann. He was nominated by the Taoiseach to the 8th Seanad on 1 October 1954, replacing his late father James G. Douglas....

 (1912–1982), who replaced his father as senator, and James Arthur Douglas (1915–1990).

Sources

• Century of Endeavour – Senator James G Douglas short biography by Roy Johnston
  Roy Johnston
  Roy Johnston is an Irish physicist. He was a Marxist who as a member of the IRA in the 1960s argued for a National Liberation Strategy to unite the Catholic and Protestant working classes...
  
  , 1999.
• Memoirs of Senator James G. Douglas – Concerned Citizen ISBN 9781900621199