James Rochfort Maguire
Encyclopedia
James Rochfort Maguire (4 October 1855 – 18 April 1925), British imperialist and Irish
Nationalist
politician and MP.
in the House of Commons
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
, as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party
represented North Donegal
(1890-92) and as a Parnellite Member for West Clare
(1892-95). Was a strong supporter of the Irish leader Charles Stewart Parnell
. He was a friend and associate of Cecil Rhodes
(1853-1902), and was one of the three men who signed the original concession on which was based the British South Africa Company
, of which he was president in 1923-25. He was awarded the C.B.E. in 1918.
He was the second son of John Mullock Maguire, rector of Kilkeedy, co. Limerick
, and his wife Anne Jane née Humphreys. He was educated at Cheltenham College and Merton College, Oxford
, where he obtained first classes in mathematics and jurisprudence. He was elected a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
in 1878 and was called to the bar in 1883, although he never practised the law. He married Julia Beatrice, eldest daughter of Viscount Peel, a former Speaker of the House of Commons
, in 1895.
While at Oxford, Maguire became friendly with Cecil Rhodes. In 1888, Rhodes sent him with Charles Rudd and Frank Thompson to negotiate a concession of land and mineral rights in Matabeleland
from Chief Lobengula at Bulawayo
. This was signed on 30 October. The British South Africa Company
was chartered the following October, and Maguire was associated with it for the rest of his life.
Meanwhile, in 1888, Rhodes had reached an agreement with Parnell, whom he admired. Rhodes supported Home Rule for Ireland, but saw it as only part of an Imperial federal scheme
for the whole British Empire
in which all the self-governing territories would send members to the Imperial Parliament. He therefore objected to the terms of Gladstone
’s unsuccessful Home Rule Bill of 1886, which would have ended Irish representation at Westminster
. He gave Parnell £10,000 for the Irish Party’s funds in exchange for an undertaking that the Party would promote the continuation of Irish members at Westminster (in the event both later Home Rule Bills, in 1893 and 1912, did provide for this).
Maguire, who shared Rhodes’ admiration for Parnell, became the main link between Rhodes and Parnell, and a seat was found for him at an uncontested by-election at North Donegal in June 1890. Less than six months later, however, the Irish Party split over Parnell’s leadership. Maguire continued his support for Parnell, and, after Parnell’s death in October 1891, for the embattled Parnellites. This meant that he was faced with a real fight at the general election of 1892. Then, he contested West Clare, defeating the Anti-Parnellite
candidate convincingly by over 1,000 votes. However, at the following general election in 1895, after the destruction of the second Home Rule Bill
by the House of Lords in 1894, Maguire lost the seat to a fresh Anti-Parnellite candidate, by 403 votes.
His later career was almost entirely concerned with South and central Africa. He went through the Siege of Kimberley
in the Boer War
with Rhodes, accompanied by his wife. After Rhodes’ death in 1902, Maguire carried on his work as a businessman, in the British South Africa Company, as a director of the Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa
, and particularly in the development of the Rhodesia
n railway system of which he was chairman for many years.
According to The Times, among dozens of friends and associates from his imperial career who attended his funeral on 24 April 1923, there was only one representative of the Irish nationalist movement, namely his former Parnellite colleague
John O'Connor
.
Note: Amazon attributes the first two publications above to James Rochfort Maguire, but the British Library catalogue indicates authorship only as by ‘An Imperialist’.
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
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
politician and MP.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
, as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...
represented North Donegal
North Donegal (UK Parliament constituency)
North Donegal was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885–1922.Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 the area was part of the Donegal constituency. From 1922 it was not represented in the UK Parliament....
(1890-92) and as a Parnellite Member for West Clare
West Clare (UK Parliament constituency)
West Clare was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885–1922.Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 the area was part of the Clare constituency. From 1922 it was not represented in the UK Parliament....
(1892-95). Was a strong supporter of the Irish leader Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
. He was a friend and associate of Cecil Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes PC, DCL was an English-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and politician. He was the founder of the diamond company De Beers, which today markets 40% of the world's rough diamonds and at one time marketed 90%...
(1853-1902), and was one of the three men who signed the original concession on which was based the British South Africa Company
British South Africa Company
The British South Africa Company was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd., receiving a royal charter in 1889...
, of which he was president in 1923-25. He was awarded the C.B.E. in 1918.
He was the second son of John Mullock Maguire, rector of Kilkeedy, co. Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, and his wife Anne Jane née Humphreys. He was educated at Cheltenham College and Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, where he obtained first classes in mathematics and jurisprudence. He was elected a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
in 1878 and was called to the bar in 1883, although he never practised the law. He married Julia Beatrice, eldest daughter of Viscount Peel, a former Speaker of the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, in 1895.
While at Oxford, Maguire became friendly with Cecil Rhodes. In 1888, Rhodes sent him with Charles Rudd and Frank Thompson to negotiate a concession of land and mineral rights in Matabeleland
Matabeleland
Modern day Matabeleland is a region in Zimbabwe divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. The region is named after its inhabitants, the Ndebele people...
from Chief Lobengula at Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
. This was signed on 30 October. The British South Africa Company
British South Africa Company
The British South Africa Company was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd., receiving a royal charter in 1889...
was chartered the following October, and Maguire was associated with it for the rest of his life.
Meanwhile, in 1888, Rhodes had reached an agreement with Parnell, whom he admired. Rhodes supported Home Rule for Ireland, but saw it as only part of an Imperial federal scheme
Imperial Federation
Imperial Federation was a late-19th early-20th century proposal to create a federated union in place of the existing British Empire.-Motivators:...
for the whole British Empire
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
in which all the self-governing territories would send members to the Imperial Parliament. He therefore objected to the terms of Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
’s unsuccessful Home Rule Bill of 1886, which would have ended Irish representation at Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
. He gave Parnell £10,000 for the Irish Party’s funds in exchange for an undertaking that the Party would promote the continuation of Irish members at Westminster (in the event both later Home Rule Bills, in 1893 and 1912, did provide for this).
Maguire, who shared Rhodes’ admiration for Parnell, became the main link between Rhodes and Parnell, and a seat was found for him at an uncontested by-election at North Donegal in June 1890. Less than six months later, however, the Irish Party split over Parnell’s leadership. Maguire continued his support for Parnell, and, after Parnell’s death in October 1891, for the embattled Parnellites. This meant that he was faced with a real fight at the general election of 1892. Then, he contested West Clare, defeating the Anti-Parnellite
Irish National Federation
The Irish National Federation was a nationalist political party in Ireland. It was founded in March 1891 by former members of the Irish National League who had left the Irish Parliamentary Party in protest when Charles Stewart Parnell refused to resign the party leadership as a result of his...
candidate convincingly by over 1,000 votes. However, at the following general election in 1895, after the destruction of the second Home Rule Bill
Irish Government Bill 1893
The Government of Ireland Bill 1893 was the second attempt made by William Ewart Gladstone, as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to enact a system of home rule for Ireland...
by the House of Lords in 1894, Maguire lost the seat to a fresh Anti-Parnellite candidate, by 403 votes.
His later career was almost entirely concerned with South and central Africa. He went through the Siege of Kimberley
Siege of Kimberley
The Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
in the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
with Rhodes, accompanied by his wife. After Rhodes’ death in 1902, Maguire carried on his work as a businessman, in the British South Africa Company, as a director of the Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and particularly in the development of the Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
n railway system of which he was chairman for many years.
According to The Times, among dozens of friends and associates from his imperial career who attended his funeral on 24 April 1923, there was only one representative of the Irish nationalist movement, namely his former Parnellite colleague
John O'Connor
John O'Connor (MP, KC)
John O'Connor was an Irish nationalist revolutionary-turned Parnellite parliamentarian MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party represented Tipperary in 1885, and South Tipperary from 1885 to 1892, and North...
.
Publications
- The pioneers of empire: Being a vindication of the principle and a short sketch of the history of chartered companies, with especial reference to the British South Africa Company, by an Imperialist, London, Methuen, 1896
- Cecil Rhodes: A biography and appreciation, by an Imperialist (Macmillan's colonial library), 1897
- The case of Ireland: "The Times" proposal. My suggestions, 1919
- ‘Rhodesia’, Journal of the African Society (continued as African Affairs), Vol.22 No.86, January 1923, pp.81-95
Note: Amazon attributes the first two publications above to James Rochfort Maguire, but the British Library catalogue indicates authorship only as by ‘An Imperialist’.
Sources
- Irish IndependentIrish IndependentThe Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
, 20 April 1925, pp.6 and 7 - F. S. L. LyonsF. S. L. LyonsFrancis Stewart Leland Lyons was one of Ireland's premier historians.-Biography:Lyons was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1923, but soon moved to Boyle in County Roscommon where his father was a bank official...
, Charles Stewart Parnell, London, Collins, 1977, pp. 442-4, 587-9 - Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Maguire, James Rochfort
- The Times (London), 20 and 23 April 1925
- Brian M. Walker (ed.), Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922, Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, 1978
- Who Was Who 1916-1928