Patrick Cunningham 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...

.

Cunningham, father to thirteen children (one dying as a child), was elected to the Westminster House of Commons for the Nationalist Party

Nationalist Party (Ireland)

The Nationalist Party was a term commonly used to describe a number of parliamentary political parties and constituency organisations supportive of Home Rule for Ireland from 1874 to 1922...

 as 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) Fermanagh and Tyrone

Fermanagh and Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)

Fermanagh and Tyrone was a Parliamentary Constituency in Northern Ireland which was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...

 at the 1935 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1935

The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...

.

Cunningham did not take his seat until 1945, and with Anthony Mulvey

Anthony Mulvey

Anthony Mulvey was an Irish nationalist politician.Born in County Leitrim, Mulvey edited the Ulster Herald before his election to represent Fermanagh and Tyrone for the Nationalist Party in the British House of Commons at the 1935 UK general election.Mulvey did not take his seat until 1945, and...

, also proposed that the Nationalist Party took an abstentionist policy with regard to the Parliament of Northern Ireland

Parliament of Northern Ireland

The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...

.http://www.proni.gov.uk/records/private/cahir_h.htm

Cunningham held his seat at the 1945 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1945

The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...

, but when the constituency was abolished at the 1950 election

United Kingdom general election, 1950

The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...

, he chose not to stand in another seat.

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