Thomas Cusack-Smith
Sir Thomas Berry Cusack-Smith PC (1795 – 13 August 1866)[1] was an Irish politician and judge. He was nicknamed "TBC Smith" or "Alphabet Smith".
Family and education
He was the younger son of
Career
He was appointed
Character and appearance
Like his father he had a reputation for eccentricity and bad temper: during the trial of Daniel O'Connell he challenged one of the opposing counsel, Gerald Fitzgibbon, to a duel, for having allegedly accused him of acting from "private and dishonourable motives". The judges, gravely embarrassed, strongly criticised Cusack-Smith for his actions and persuaded him to drop the matter. To the public, a particularly startling aspect of the matter was that Fitzgibbon's wife and daughter were present in Court throughout.[3] Cussck-Smith's frequent outbursts of ill-temper were attributed by his friends to chronic indigestion.
An admirer described him as having "a touch of genius" but admitted that he was rough and harsh in manner. Charles Gavan Duffy described him as "dignified" but so unhealthy and ghastly in appearance that he resembled "an owl in daylight".[3] Daniel O'Connell called him "the vinegar cruet".
References
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
- ^ a b c d Ball, F. Elrington The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921 John Murray London 1926 Vol. 2 p.356-7
- ^ a b c Geoghegan, Patrick M. Liberator- the life and death of Daniel O'Connell Gill and Macmillan Dublin 2010 pp.166-182
- ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
Sources
- Concise Dictionary of National Biography