James McSparran QC

Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

(1 May 1892 - 15 April 1970), was an Irish

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...

 nationalist politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

.

McSparran was born in Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

 to an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 family He studied at St Mungo's Academy, Glasgow

St Mungo's Academy, Glasgow

St Mungo's Academy is a Roman Catholic, co-educational, comprehensive, secondary school located in Bridgeton, Glasgow. The school was founded in 1858, in Townhead originally, by the Marist Brothers religious order. The school has a reputation for academic achievement and sporting excellence,...

, then St Malachy's College in Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, Queen's University of Belfast

Queen's University of Belfast

Queen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB...

, and the National University of Ireland

National University of Ireland

The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...

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McSparran was appointed to the Irish Bar in 1916, and later became a King's Counsel. He also had interests in the Irish News.

At the Northern Ireland general election, 1945, McSparran was elected for the Nationalist Party

Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)

The Nationalist Party† - was the continuation of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and was formed after partition, by the Northern Ireland-based members of the IPP....

 in Mourne

Mourne (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

Mourne was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Mourne was a county constituency comprising part of southern County Down, including the Mountains of Mourne. It was created when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout Northern...

. He immediately became the Chairman of the Nationalist Party at Stormont, and was the founding Chairman of the Anti-Partition of Ireland League

Anti-Partition of Ireland League

The Irish Anti-Partition League was a political organisation based in Northern Ireland which campaigned for a united Ireland.-Foundation:...

. In 1953, he became instead the President of the League, and in 1958, he stood down from Parliament and his position as Chairman of the Nationalist Party.

McSparran remained active as a barrister and supported the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association

Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association

The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was an organisation which campaigned for equal civil rights for the all the people in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s and early 1970s...

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