Ernest Edmondson Benson (5 October 1898 – 15 March 1975) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil � ...

politician and businessman. He was born 5 October 1898 in Dublin, the second child of Robert Benson, a company director, and Bessie Benson (née Hulme); the family were

quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

. The family lived at 3 Orwell Road,

Rathgar Rathgar (), is a suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It was originally a village which from 1862 was part of the township of Rathmines and Rathgar; it was absorbed by the growing city and became a suburb in 1930. It lies about three kilometres south of ...

, Dublin. He was educated at Ackworth and Bootham Schools, Yorkshire from 1912 to 1915. Edmondson served as a

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in the

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and had many different titles throughout its 28 ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

from 1916 to 1918. He was wounded in action, and returned to Ireland. He entered

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, graduating BA in 1919. In 1920 he entered the family business, the Dublin Laundry Co. Ltd; he became managing director of the firm in 1947, and later of Dartry Ltd. He was a member of

Dublin Corporation Dublin Corporation (), known by generations of Dubliners simply as ''The Corpo'', is the former name of the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin since the 1100s. Significantly re-structured in 1660-1661, even more sign ...

from 1933 to 1945. He was prominent in Dublin business circles, he was chairman of

Dublin Chamber of Commerce Dublin Chamber of Commerce also known as the Dublin Chamber, is the oldest chamber of commerce in Ireland. Origins The Dublin Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1783. It had been preceded by other collective bodies including the Guild of Merc ...

in 1944, an elected member of the council of the Federated Union of Employers (vice-chairman 1947–1956), a member of the labour court (1956–1969) and a founding member of the council of the British Launderers Research Association (1940–1959). Outside business and politics he was a commissioner (1933–1975), vice-chairman (1961), and chairman (1963–1965) of

Irish Lights The Commissioners of Irish Lights ( ga, Coimisinéirí Soilse na hÉireann), often shortened to Irish Lights or CIL, is the body that serves as the general lighthouse authority for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and their adjacent ...

. A keen swimmer in his youth, he was Irish national swimming champion in the half-mile, quarter-mile, and 220 yards during the 1920s. Later he was a member of the Leinster Committee of the Royal Life Saving Association. He was elected to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

as a Fine Gael

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...

(TD) for the Dublin Townships constituency at the 1937 general election. He was re-elected at the

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

and

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

general elections. He lost his seat at the 1944 general election. He married Emily Healy in September 1922; they had one child. Emily died in 1926. In April 1928 he married Almeria Fitzpatrick (d. 1985), and they lived on Milltown Road, Dublin, and later in

Greystones Greystones () is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies on Ireland's east coast, south of Bray, County Wicklow, Bray and south of Dublin city centre and has a population of 18,140 (2016). The town is bordered ...

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...

. They had five children. He died 15 March 1975 at home, leaving an estate valued at £4,532.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Ernest 1898 births 1975 deaths Fine Gael TDs Members of the 9th Dáil Members of the 10th Dáil Members of the 11th Dáil Politicians from County Dublin Alumni of Trinity College Dublin