John Philip Bagwell (11 August 1874 – 22 August 1946) was an Irish businessman and politician.

Early life and family

Bagwell was born on 11 August 1874, the son of Harriet Newton and

Richard Bagwell Richard Bagwell (9 December 1840 – 4 December 1918) was a noted historian of the Stuart and Tudor periods in Ireland, and a political commentator with strong Unionist convictions. He was the eldest son of John Bagwell, M.P. for Clonmel fro ...

. The Bagwells of Marlfield could trace their arrival in Ireland to John Bagwell (Backwell), a captain in

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

's New Model Army. He was educated at Harrow School and

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

. Bagwell married Louisa Shaw in 1901, the daughter of George Shaw, a Major General. They had three children. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 4th (

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

) Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment on 7 March 1900, and promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 28 July 1900.

Business

After Oxford, he joined the Midland Railway, England, where he served as an assistant superintendent of line from 1905 to 1909. He then returned to Ireland and served as superintendent of passenger services from 1910 to 1911. Bagwell was general manager of Ireland's Great Northern Railways (GNR) between 1911 and 1926.

Politics

Bagwell became an independent member of

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house). It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...

in the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

in 1922, and held that office until 1936. He was nominated to the Seanad by the President of the Executive Council in 1922 for 6 years. He was elected for six years in 1928. He was re-elected for a further six years in 1934, but served until the abolition of the Free State Seanad in 1936. During the Irish Civil War he was kidnapped from near his house in

Howth Howth ( ; ; non, Hǫfuð) is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes ...

and held hostage by anti-Treaty forces in the Dublin Mountains. The Free State government responded by issuing a proclamation to the effect that if Bagwell were not safely released, reprisals would be taken. Bagwell, however, maintained that he escaped his captors through his own efforts and his safe release could not be attributed to these threats. At around the same time, the family residence at Marlfield House, Clonmel, County Tipperary, was burned by anti-Treaty forces and the library of rare historical documents destroyed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagwell, John Philip 1874 births 1946 deaths Independent members of Seanad Éireann Members of the 1922 Seanad Members of the 1925 Seanad Members of the 1928 Seanad Members of the 1931 Seanad Members of the 1934 Seanad John Philip Deputy Lieutenants in Ireland People of the Irish Civil War (Pro-Treaty side) Politicians from County Tipperary Irish people in rail transport People from Howth People from Clonmel Businesspeople from County Tipperary People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford