James Grattan (7 April 1783 – 21 October 1854) 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 ...

Whig politician and army officer.

Family and early life

Grattan was the first son of

Irish Patriot Party The Irish Patriot Party was the name of a number of different political groupings in Ireland throughout the 18th century. They were primarily supportive of Whig concepts of personal liberty combined with an Irish identity that rejected full inde ...

Henry Grattan Henry Grattan (3 July 1746 – 4 June 1820) was an Irish politician and lawyer who campaigned for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century from Britain. He was a Member of the Irish Parliament (MP) from 1775 to 18 ...

and Henrietta née Fitzgerald, daughter of Nicholas Fitzgerald of Greensborough. He was also the brother of

Henry Grattan (junior) Henry Grattan (1789 – 16 July 1859) was an Irish politician, who was Member of Parliament for Dublin City on behalf of the Whigs from 1826 to 1830 in the British House of Commons. From 1831 to 1852, he represented Meath for the Repeal Assoc ...

, who was also an MP. He was educated privately and then studied at Trinity College, Dublin from 1803 to 1808, before being admitted to King's Inns in 1809. In 1847, he married Lady Laura Maria Tollemache, daughter of William Tollemache, Lord Huntingtower and Catherine Rebecca née Gray. They had at least one daughter: Pauline Grattan (died 1908). In 1810, he became a cornet in the 20th Light Dragoons, and the following year a lieutenant in 9th Regiment of Light Dragoons, before going onto half-pay in 1814. During this period, he served on the

Walcheren Campaign The Walcheren Campaign ( ) was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Sir John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chath ...

and in the peninsula. Yet, in 1820, either he or his brother fought a bloodless duel in Hyde Park with Lord Clare after making "offensive" remarks about Clyde's father during a public meeting in Dublin.

Political career

An existing member of

Brooks's Brooks's is a gentlemen's club in St James's Street, London. It is one of the oldest and most exclusive gentlemen's clubs in the world. History In January 1762, a private society was established at 50 Pall Mall by Messrs. Boothby and James ...

, Grattan was elected unopposed as Whig MP for at a by-election in 1821, pledging to pursue the same "principles and conduct" as his father. He was noted by James Grant as an MP with "great fluency" and "never... at a loss for words", but "ideas are of an inferior order" and having "nothing of the vehemence of his brother". Speaking with his hat under his left arm, the house could "calculate as safely on his presence as that of the Speaker himself" when Irish matters were discussed. Attending regularly, he often divided with the Whigs on most issues, including economy, retrenchment and reduced taxation, and also voted for reform and Catholic relief, calling, in his

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

for the end to the Protestant "monopoly of place, which had already existed for too long"—and his career is dominated by votes and speeches on issues relating to Irish Catholics. He also voted and spoke against the Irish insurrection bill warning ministers that "they might hang and shoot, but the evil will still go on". In 1822, he again fought a duel, this time with Captain O'Grady "in consequence of a political dispute". With these positions, and a supporter of reform and a member of the

Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club on the south side of Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it comprised an all-male membership for decades, but it was one of the first all-male cl ...

, he held the seat until 1841 when he was defeated. In the same year, he was made a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grattan, James UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 Whig (British political party) MPs for Irish constituencies 1783 births 1854 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Alumni of King's Inns 20th Light Dragoons officers 9th Queen's Royal Lancers officers Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom