John Orrell Lever was an English shipping owner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1859 and 1885.

Lever was the son of James Lever of Manchester. He was interested in railways and shipping, being a director of the South Wales Railway

South Wales Railway

The South Wales Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway with Neyland in Wales.-History:The need for the railway was created by the need to ship coal from the South Wales Valleys to London, and secondly to complete Brunel's vision of linking London with...

 and the Atlantic Royal Mail Steam Navigation Co. He was responsible for establishing Galway

Galway

Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...

 as a packet-station. He was the sole lessee of the Thames and Channel Passenger Service and wrote several works.

In February 1859 Lever was elected at a by-election as a Member of Parliament

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,...

 (MP) for Galway Borough

Galway Borough (UK Parliament constituency)

Galway Borough was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland. It returned one MP 1801–1832, two MPs 1832–1885 and one thereafter. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.-Boundaries:This...

. He was re-elected at the general election in May 1859

United Kingdom general election, 1859

In the 1859 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, held their majority in the House of Commons over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives...

, but was defeated at the 1865 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1865

The 1865 United Kingdom general election saw the Liberals, led by Lord Palmerston, increase their large majority over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives to more than 80. The Whig Party changed its name to the Liberal Party between the previous election and this one.Palmerston died later in the same...

.

At the 1880 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1880

-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...

 he was re-elected for Galway, and held the seat until 1885 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1885

-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...

.

He was elected as a Conservative

Irish Conservative Party

The Irish Conservative Party, often called the Irish Tories, was one of the dominant Irish political parties in Ireland in the 19th century...

 in 1859, and stood as Conservative in 1865. At the 1880 election, Walker records him as a Home Rule League

Home Rule League

The Home Rule League, sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was a political party which campaigned for home rule for the country of Ireland from 1873 to 1882, when it was replaced by the Irish Parliamentary Party.-Origins:...

 candidate, but Debrett's in 1881 describes as a Liberal-Conservative.

Lever died at the age of 73.

Lever married Elizabeth Dorning, daughter of Jonathan Dorning of Swinton Lancashire in 1847. She died in 1877.

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