Patrick Whitty
Encyclopedia
Patrick Joseph Whitty was, for a brief period, an Irish
nationalist
politician and MP
in the House of Commons
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
and as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party
he represented North Louth
from 1916 until 1918. He practised as an accountant.
Whitty was born at 6 Lady Lane in Waterford City in May 1894, the son of Dr. Patrick Joseph Whitty. He was educated at St. Vincent's College
, Castleknock
, Dublin and trained as an accountant.
On 24 February 1916 he was elected in the
Commons by-election as MP for the constituency of North Louth
, defeating a Healyite
opponent Bernard Hamill by 2,299 votes to 1,810. Whitty received some Unionist
support, while Hamill received separatist support. Whitty was aged just 21, becoming the youngest MP at the time. He was the nephew of Richard Hazleton
, elected MP for the seat in December 1910 but subsequently unseated on petition (although Hazleton continued to sit for North Galway where he had been elected at the same election). Whitty was imposed on the constituency of North Louth by the Party leadership in what was widely ridiculed as an act of nepotism. D.P. Moran's paper the Leader referred to him as "Whitty the Kid" and published a cartoon in which his victory procession included a pram labelled "The Next Candidate".
The constituency was abolished in 1918, and Whitty retired from Parliament at the general election that year. His uncle Richard Hazleton was nominated as the Irish Party candidate in the new Louth constituency.
He died in Birmingham on 28 July 1967, the last survivor of the pre-1918 Irish Parliamentary Party.
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...
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....
and 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...
he represented North Louth
North Louth (UK Parliament constituency)
North Louth was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918...
from 1916 until 1918. He practised as an accountant.
Whitty was born at 6 Lady Lane in Waterford City in May 1894, the son of Dr. Patrick Joseph Whitty. He was educated at St. Vincent's College
Castleknock College
Castleknock College is a private , secondary school for boys aged between 13 and 18, which is situated in the residential suburb of Castleknock, 8 km west of the city centre in Dublin, Ireland.-History:...
, Castleknock
Castleknock
Castleknock is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the west of the modern administrative county of Fingal within the traditional county of Dublin. It is located west of the centre of Dublin....
, Dublin and trained as an accountant.
On 24 February 1916 he was elected in the
Commons by-election as MP for the constituency of North Louth
North Louth (UK Parliament constituency)
North Louth was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918...
, defeating a Healyite
Healyite Nationalist
The Healyite Nationalists were Irish Nationalist politicians who supported Timothy Healy MP.Healy was the most outspoken member of the anti-Parnellite majority in the Irish Parliamentary Party...
opponent Bernard Hamill by 2,299 votes to 1,810. Whitty received some Unionist
Unionism in Ireland
Unionism in Ireland is an ideology that favours the continuation of some form of political union between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain...
support, while Hamill received separatist support. Whitty was aged just 21, becoming the youngest MP at the time. He was the nephew of Richard Hazleton
Richard Hazleton
Richard Hazleton was an Irish nationalist politician of the Irish Parliamentary Party. He was Member of Parliament for North Galway from 1906 to 1918, taking his seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.-Early life:The son of Thomas Hazleton, of Dungannon...
, elected MP for the seat in December 1910 but subsequently unseated on petition (although Hazleton continued to sit for North Galway where he had been elected at the same election). Whitty was imposed on the constituency of North Louth by the Party leadership in what was widely ridiculed as an act of nepotism. D.P. Moran's paper the Leader referred to him as "Whitty the Kid" and published a cartoon in which his victory procession included a pram labelled "The Next Candidate".
The constituency was abolished in 1918, and Whitty retired from Parliament at the general election that year. His uncle Richard Hazleton was nominated as the Irish Party candidate in the new Louth constituency.
He died in Birmingham on 28 July 1967, the last survivor of the pre-1918 Irish Parliamentary Party.