J. F. X. O'Brien
J. F. X. O'Brien | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for South Mayo | |
In office 18 December 1885 – 7 August 1895 | |
Member of Parliament for Cork City | |
In office 7 August 1895 – 8 February 1906 | |
President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood | |
In office 1882–1891 | |
Preceded by | Charles Kickham |
Succeeded by | John O'Leary |
Personal details | |
Born | James Francis Xavier O'Brien October 13, 1828 Glasnevin cemetery, Dublin |
James Francis Xavier (J. F. X.) O'Brien (13
Life
Early life
O'Brien was born in Dungarvan, County Waterford to the merchant family of Timothy and Catherine O'Brien.[3]
Early Fenian activity
O'Brien was studying divinity in
In 1854 he won a scholarship to study medicine at
In Louisiana
Upon his arrival to New Orleans, O'Brien was persuaded to participate in
Following the outbreak of the
Return to Ireland
In late 1862, he returned to Ireland, settling in
During a meeting of Cork IRB in February 1867, O'Brien voted against
Following his release, O'Brien was made part of the IRB Supreme Council (and possibly its President). It was in this capacity that O'Brien drafted its constitution, which was adopted on 18 August 1869.[4] It was also in this capacity that O'Brien supported a plan to nominate Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa as a member of parliament. The idea was that if O'Donovan Rossa, who was already known to the public as a Fenian, was elected to as an MP, this would be highly embarrassing for the British state. O'Donovan Rossa was indeed elected on 25 November 1869, although later disqualified on 10 February 1870 due to his previous conviction for treason.[4]
By 1873, O'Brien was no longer a member of the IRB Supreme Council and had departed from the IRB.[6]
Electoral politics
Following his departure from the IRB, O'Brien had focused on commercial activity in Cork. However, in November 1885 was approached by none other than Charles Stewart Parnell, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, with a proposition. Parnell had previously requested that the Irish National League withdraw the nomination of Pat Nally as their South Mayo candidate in an upcoming election. Nally had been previously arrested and convicted of participating in the "Crossmolina Riot", which had received national press coverage across the United Kingdom. The Mayo branch of the Irish National League wanted to make Nally an MP in protest but Parnell did not like the idea. Instead, Parnell wished to make O'Brien the MP for South MP, trading upon O'Brien's reputation as a Fenian rebel.[4] O'Brien agreed and became the MP to represent South Mayo from 1885 to 1895[7][4] and as Anti-Parnellite for Cork City from 1895 to 1905.[2] O'Brien was not very active in the Parliament, merely using his position to vote with the Irish Parliamentary Party. However, behind the scenes he held leading positions in the Irish Parliamentary Party as treasurer from 1886.
Following the split in the IPP over Parnell's affair with Mrs. O'Shea, O'Brien joined the anti-Parnellites in the Irish National Federation,[4] and was later the United Irish League of Great Britain (general secretary, 1900–1905).[2][5]
He died at his London residence (39 Gauden Road,
References
- ^ Mark F. Ryan, Fenian Memories, M. H. Gill and Son, Ltd, Dublin, 1945. Pg. 34
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j R. B. O'Brien, "O'Brien, James Francis Xavier (1828–1905)", rev. R. V. Comerford, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 17 February 2008. The 1912 version of this entry is available online here
- ^ R. B. O'Brien, "O'Brien, James Francis Xavier (1828–1905)", rev. R. V. Comerford, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 17 February 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n McGee, Owen. "O'Brien, James Francis Xavier". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- ^ ISBN 0-520-06745-2, p. 80.
- ^ Owen McGee, The IRB: The Irish Republican Brotherhood From the Land League to Sinn Féin, Four Courts Press, 2005, p.143
- ^ "Rayment's Commons Page". Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
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Sources
- Fenian Memories, Dr. Mark F. Ryan, M.H. Gill & Son, Ltd, Dublin, 1945