William James Conolly was an Irish politician.

He was elected to the Irish House of Commons

Irish House of Commons

The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...

 for Ballyshannon

Ballyshannon (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Ballyshannon was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons from 1613 to 1800.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:This constituency was the borough of Ballyshannon in County Donegal...

 at a by-election in 1727. At the general election earlier that year his uncle William Conolly

William Conolly

William Conolly , also known as Speaker Conolly, was an Irish politician, Commissioner of Revenue, lawyer and landowner.-Career:...

, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, had been elected for the seat, but chose to continue sitting for County Londonderry

Londonderry County (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Londonderry County was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-Members of Parliament:*1634: Tristram Beresford*1656–1658: Tristram Beresford*1661–1666: Tristram Beresford -1692–1801:...

 instead. He inherited his uncle's estate of Castletown House

Castletown House

Castletown House, Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland's is a Palladian country house built in 1722 for William Conolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. It formed the centrepiece of a estate...

 in 1729 and was appointed to the Irish Privy Council on 3 February 1730.

In 1733 he was married to Lady Anne Wentworth, daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. Their children included Thomas Conolly

Thomas Conolly (1738–1803)

Thomas Conolly was an Irish landowner.He was the son of William James Conolly of Castletown House, by his wife Lady Anne, daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford...

, who married Lady Louisa Lennox

Lady Louisa Conolly

Lady Louisa Conolly , known from 1743 to 1758 as Lady Louisa Lennox, was the third of the four Lennox Sisters immortalised in Stella Tillyard's book Aristocrats: Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox and the BBC television series based on it.The Lennox sisters were daughters of Charles Lennox,...

; Harriet, who married John Staples

John Staples

John Staples was an Irish Member of Parliament.He sat in the Irish House of Commons for Newtown Limavady from 1765 to 1768, for Clogher from 1768 to 1776, for Ballyshannon from 1776 to 1783, for Newtown Limavady again from 1783 to 1795 and for County Antrim from 1796 to 1800, and then for Antrim...

 and was grandmother of Edward Michael Conolly

Edward Michael Conolly

Edward Michael Conolly was an Irish Member of Parliament.He was born Edward Michael Pakenham, son of Admiral Sir Thomas Pakenham by his wife Louisa, daughter of John Staples and niece of Thomas Conolly of Castletown...

; Frances, who married William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe

William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe

William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC was a British army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of Independence...

; Katherine, who married Ralph Gore, 1st Earl of Ross

Ralph Gore, 1st Earl of Ross

General Ralph Gore, 1st Earl of Ross , known as Sir Ralph Gore, 6th Baronet from 1746 until 1764, subsequently as The Lord Gore until 1768 and then as The Viscount Belleisle until 1772, was an Irish soldier, politician and peer.-Background:Born at Belle Isle Castle, he was the second son of Sir...

; Anne, who married George Byng and was the mother of John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford

John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford

Field Marshal John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford, GCB, GCH, PC was a British peer, politician and soldier.-Early years:...

, and Caroline, who married John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire

John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire

John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire was an English nobleman and politician.The son of John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire by his first marriage, he was educated at Westminster School and Christ's College, Cambridge. He was Member of Parliament for Norwich from 1747–56, having also been...

.