Walter L. Cole
Encyclopedia
Walter Leonard Cole was an Irish merchant and politician in the early twentieth century. Prior to the foundation of the Irish Free State
, he was an alderman
for a period. An active republican
, he was a founding director of the Sinn Féin Printing & Publishing Company
. He also led the Sinn Féin
grouping in Dublin Corporation
in the early 1900s.
As a well-off supporter of the underground Irish republican movement in the early twentieth century, his house on Mountjoy Square seems to have been a regular meeting place for senior figures within that movement. The notes of Seamus Reader, an Irish Volunteer from Glasgow, record a meeting in January 1916 at Cole's house:all of whom were signatories to the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and all of whom were executed the following May, as leaders of the Easter Rising
.
Cole is also documented as having hosted provisional Dáil
meetings at his home, the assembly having been driven underground in September 1919. He was arrested by the military at his home at No. 3 Mountjoy Square in 1920.
After the Anglo-Irish Treaty
and the foundation of the Irish Free State, he was elected a pro-Treaty Sinn Féin
Teachta Dála
(TD) to the 3rd Dáil Éireann
for Cavan constituency
at the 1922 general election
. The "Pro-Treaty" prefix relates to his position in the Irish Civil War
. It is perhaps surprising that a Dublin man won in Cavan. He and Seán Milroy
stood alongside Arthur Griffith
with one other opponent, Patrick Baxter
of the Farmers' Party
and three seats available. Griffith received by far the largest popular vote (54%) with Baxter second (23%), Cole third (20%) and Milroy fourth (2%). As the Irish voting system uses proportional representation
, Cole and Milroy were elected on the back of Griffith's surplus votes who had achieved more than twice the required quota. Cole stood again in Cavan as a Cumann na nGaedheal candidate at the following 1923 general election
. Griffith had been killed in the Civil War
by that time and Baxter topped the poll, this time with Milroy second. Cole was eliminated on the sixth count, despite there being an extra fourth seat.
Cole unsuccessfully ran for election to Seanad Éireann
in 1925. He was later a commissioner for Mountjoy Square.
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
, he was an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
for a period. An active republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, he was a founding director of the Sinn Féin Printing & Publishing Company
Sinn Féin Printing & Publishing Company
The Sinn Féin Printing & Publishing Company, Ltd. was a Dublin-based enterprise founded by Arthur Griffith, chief propagandist of the nationalist Sinn Féin movement. It published, and for several years also printed, the influential weekly newspaper Sinn Féin. It also very briefly printed and...
. He also led the Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
grouping in Dublin Corporation
Dublin Corporation
Dublin Corporation , known by generations of Dubliners simply as The Corpo, is the former name given to the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin between 1661 and 1 January 2002...
in the early 1900s.
As a well-off supporter of the underground Irish republican movement in the early twentieth century, his house on Mountjoy Square seems to have been a regular meeting place for senior figures within that movement. The notes of Seamus Reader, an Irish Volunteer from Glasgow, record a meeting in January 1916 at Cole's house:all of whom were signatories to the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and all of whom were executed the following May, as leaders of the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
.
Cole is also documented as having hosted provisional Dáil
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
meetings at his home, the assembly having been driven underground in September 1919. He was arrested by the military at his home at No. 3 Mountjoy Square in 1920.
After the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
and the foundation of the Irish Free State, he was elected a pro-Treaty Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) to the 3rd Dáil Éireann
Members of the 3rd Dáil
This is a list of the members who were elected to the 3rd Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of the soon to be created Irish Free State. These TDs were elected at the 1922 general election on 16 June 1922. The 3rd Dáil was dissolved by Governor-General Timothy Michael Healy, at the...
for Cavan constituency
Cavan (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Cavan was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1921 to 1977. The method of election was the single transferable vote form of proportional representation .- History :...
at the 1922 general election
Irish general election, 1922
The Irish general election of 1922 took place in Southern Ireland on 16 June 1922, under the provisions of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to elect a constituent assembly paving the way for the formal establishment of the Irish Free State...
. The "Pro-Treaty" prefix relates to his position in the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
. It is perhaps surprising that a Dublin man won in Cavan. He and Seán Milroy
Seán Milroy
Seán Milroy was an Irish politician. He was born in Maryport in Cumberland. He was a journalist by profession.He contested a by-election for Sinn Féin in Tyrone North East unsuccessfully. He was elected a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála at the 1921 elections for both the Cavan constituency and for the...
stood alongside Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. He served as President of Dáil Éireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.-Early life:...
with one other opponent, Patrick Baxter
Patrick Baxter
Patrick Francis Baxter was an Irish politician from County Cavan. He was a Teachta Dala in the 1920s, and later a senator for over 25 years, serving as Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann from 1954 to 1957....
of the Farmers' Party
Farmers' Party (Ireland)
The Farmers' Party or Farmers' Union was an agrarian political party in the Irish Free State between 1922 and 1932. It was concerned almost exclusively with the interests of the agricultural community, and never sought to widen its scope beyond the countryside.The party won seven seats in Dáil...
and three seats available. Griffith received by far the largest popular vote (54%) with Baxter second (23%), Cole third (20%) and Milroy fourth (2%). As the Irish voting system uses proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
, Cole and Milroy were elected on the back of Griffith's surplus votes who had achieved more than twice the required quota. Cole stood again in Cavan as a Cumann na nGaedheal candidate at the following 1923 general election
Irish general election, 1923
The Irish general election of 1923 was held on 27 August 1923. The newly elected members of the 4th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 19 September when the new President of the Executive Council and Executive Council of the Irish Free State were appointed. The election was held just after the end...
. Griffith had been killed in the Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
by that time and Baxter topped the poll, this time with Milroy second. Cole was eliminated on the sixth count, despite there being an extra fourth seat.
Cole unsuccessfully ran for election to Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
in 1925. He was later a commissioner for Mountjoy Square.
External links
- UCD Archives collection of Cole's papers.