James Hickey (Irish politician)
Encyclopedia
James Hickey was an Irish
Labour Party politician who joined the short-lived breakaway National Labour Party
.
Hickey first stood for the Dáil in the 1937 general election
in the Cork Borough
constituency, but narrowly missed being elected. He was more successful in the 1938 election
, unseating Richard Anthony
, a former Labour TD who left the Party in the 1920s and sat as an independent.
Hickey made international headlines in February 1939, when, as Lord Mayor of Cork
, he refused to give a civic reception to the captain and crew of the German
warship SMS Schlesien which was on a 'courtesy visit' to Cork Harbour
flying the Nazi
flag (in spite of Irish neutrality). The Schlesien was a 13,000 tonne World War I
battleship, but was involved in the attack on Danzig
, Poland
, just seven months later at the start of WW II
. Hickey's reasoning for the refusal to entertain the German crew was stated to be a slight by the German media on the occasion of the death of Pope Pius XI some time earlier. Hickey said, "the insult given to the Catholic world on the death of the Pope, when the responsible German Press termed our Holy Father a political adventurer”. See tribute from Michael O'Riordan
, Communist Party of Ireland
, to Hickey (part of speech to Labour Party conference, Cork, 1999).
Hickey was one of the six TDs who left Labour in 1944 to form the National Labour Party, and it was as a National Labour Party candidate that he was defeated at the 1943
and 1944
general elections. He was re-elected to the 13th Dáil in the 1948 election
as a National Labour candidate, and after the split in Labour was healed, he was returned to the Dáil for a final time in the 1951 general election
.
After his defeat in the 1954 general election
he stood unsuccessfully for election to Seanad Éireann, but was nominated to the 8th Seanad by the Taoiseach
John A. Costello
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Labour Party politician who joined the short-lived breakaway National Labour Party
National Labour Party (Ireland)
The National Labour Party was an Irish political party active between 1944 and 1950. It was founded in 1944 from a rebel faction of the Labour Party, inspired by the intransigence of the incumbent leadership of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union against the majority of the party.The...
.
Hickey first stood for the Dáil in the 1937 general election
Irish general election, 1937
The Irish general election of 1937 was held on 1 July 1937, just over two weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 14 June. A plebiscite to ratify the Constitution of Ireland was held on the same day...
in the Cork Borough
Cork Borough (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Cork Borough was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1921 to 1969...
constituency, but narrowly missed being elected. He was more successful in the 1938 election
Irish general election, 1938
The Irish general election of 1938 was held on 17 June 1938. The 138 newly elected members of the 10th Dáil assembled on 30 June when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
, unseating Richard Anthony
Richard Anthony
Richard Sidney Anthony was an Irish politician. A Linotype operator by profession, Anthony stood unsuccessfully for election at the 1923 general election. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as an Labour Party Teachta Dála for the Cork Borough constituency at the June 1927 general election. He...
, a former Labour TD who left the Party in the 1920s and sat as an independent.
Hickey made international headlines in February 1939, when, as Lord Mayor of Cork
Lord Mayor of Cork
The Lord Mayor of Cork is the honorific title of the Chairman of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork in Ireland. The incumbent is Terry Shannon of Fianna Fáil. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council.-History of office:In 1199 there...
, he refused to give a civic reception to the captain and crew of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
warship SMS Schlesien which was on a 'courtesy visit' to Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" . Other contenders include Halifax Harbour in Canada, and Poole Harbour...
flying the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
flag (in spite of Irish neutrality). The Schlesien was a 13,000 tonne World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
battleship, but was involved in the attack on Danzig
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, just seven months later at the start of WW II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Hickey's reasoning for the refusal to entertain the German crew was stated to be a slight by the German media on the occasion of the death of Pope Pius XI some time earlier. Hickey said, "the insult given to the Catholic world on the death of the Pope, when the responsible German Press termed our Holy Father a political adventurer”. See tribute from Michael O'Riordan
Michael O'Riordan
Michael O'Riordan was the founder of the Communist Party of Ireland and also fought with the Connolly Column in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.-Early life:...
, Communist Party of Ireland
Communist Party of Ireland
The Communist Party of Ireland is a small all-Ireland Marxist party, founded in 1933. An earlier party, the Socialist Party of Ireland, was renamed the Communist Party of Ireland in 1921 on its affiliation to the Communist International but was dissolved in 1924. The present-day CPI was founded in...
, to Hickey (part of speech to Labour Party conference, Cork, 1999).
Hickey was one of the six TDs who left Labour in 1944 to form the National Labour Party, and it was as a National Labour Party candidate that he was defeated at the 1943
Irish general election, 1943
The Irish general election of 1943 was held on 23 June 1943. The 138 newly elected members of the 11th Dáil assembled on 1 July when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
and 1944
Irish general election, 1944
The Irish general election of 1944 was held on 30 May 1944, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 9 May. The 138 newly elected members of the 12th Dáil assembled on 9 June when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
general elections. He was re-elected to the 13th Dáil in the 1948 election
Irish general election, 1948
The Irish general election of 1948 was held on 4 February 1948. The 147 newly elected members of the 13th Dáil assembled on 18 February when the First Inter-Party government in the history of the Irish state was appointed....
as a National Labour candidate, and after the split in Labour was healed, he was returned to the Dáil for a final time in the 1951 general election
Irish general election, 1951
The Irish general election of 1951 was held on 30 May 1951. The newly elected members of the 14th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 13 June when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
.
After his defeat in the 1954 general election
Irish general election, 1954
The Irish general election of 1954 was held on 18 May 1954. The newly elected members of the 15th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 2 June when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
he stood unsuccessfully for election to Seanad Éireann, but was nominated to the 8th Seanad by the Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
John A. Costello
John A. Costello
John Aloysius Costello , a successful barrister, was one of the main legal advisors to the government of the Irish Free State after independence, Attorney General of Ireland from 1926–1932 and Taoiseach from 1948–1951 and 1954–1957....
.