William McMullen (politician)
William McMullen | |
---|---|
Senator | |
In office 25 February 1953 – 1 September 1953 | |
In office 14 August 1951 – 16 September 1952 | |
Constituency | Labour Panel |
Member of the Northern Ireland Parliament for Belfast West | |
In office April 1925 – May 1929 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland | 22 July 1888
Died | 12 December 1982 Dublin, Ireland | (aged 94)
Political party | |
Spouse | Annie Mullen |
Children | 3 |
William McMullen (22 July 1888 – 12 December 1982) was an
Early life
Born into a
However, McMullen returned to Ireland in 1920 and resumed political activity. He had intended to stand in the 1921 Northern Ireland general election as a Belfast Labour Party candidate, however, Labour made the decision to mostly withdraw from the election in order to make way for Sinn Féin. The Belfast Labour Party was dissolved in 1924 and McMullen was a founding member of its successor, the Northern Ireland Labour Party on 8 March 1924. That same year, McMullen successfully became a poor law guardian in the Catholic ward of Smithfield.[1]
Member of the Northern Irish parliament
In 1925 McMullen was successful in two elections, firstly he became a member of
Between 1927 and 1928, he was the President of the Irish Trades Union Congress..[1][4]
Following the restructuring of constituencies, McMullen stood in
Continued political activism
McMullen continued to be politically active after the loss of his seat in parliament. In late 1932, Catholics and Protestants began to riot alongside each other in Belfast during the "outdoor relief disturbances"; "outdoor relief" was a form of welfare and the Great Depression meant access to welfare was desperately in need. McMullen was an active part of the disturbances, leading strikes and marches to demand "a living wage".[1][5]
In June 1934 McMullen stood in a by-election for a seat in Belfast Central,[1] but was not successful, placing second behind Thomas Joseph Campbell. McMullen lost by 14%, and as it happens, 14% of the vote in that by-election went to Labour man Harry Diamond.
In September 1934, McMullen was a founding member of the Republican Congress, an attempt by left-wing Irish republicans outside of Fianna Fáil to create a unified front. However, the party was immediately racked by ideological infighting and dissipated almost as soon as it had started.[1]
Trade union leader
In 1937 McMullen moved to Dublin to take up a post as the national organiser of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union; in 1939 he became vice-president and in 1946 he became the ITGWU's President.[1]
Irish senator
After the
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l McElroy, Gerry. "McMullen, William". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Births registered in the district of Belfast No. 4" (PDF). IrishGenealogy.ie. 9 October 1888. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Northern Ireland Parliamentary Elections Results: Biographies
- ^ a b c Michael Farrell, Northern Ireland: The Orange State
- ^ Hegarty, Neil (2 September 2017). "When Belfast's Catholics and Protestants rioted together". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Prelude". Seanad Éireann debates. Oireachtas. 14 August 1951. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ Seanad Committee on Procedure and Privileges (29 October 1952). "Report – Question of the Effect of Senator William McMullen's bankruptcy on his membership of the Seanad". Archive: Committee Reports. Oireachtas. Retrieved 2 October 2018.; "Report of Committee on Procedure and Privileges—Motion". Seanad Éireann debates. Oireachtas. 10 December 1952. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Union chief in Senate again". The Irish Times. 5 February 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 10 April 2020.; "Election of Senators". Seanad Éireann debate. Oireachtas. 25 February 1953. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ "William McMullen". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 1 January 2020.