Sir John Keane, 5th Baronet, DSO (3 June 1873 – 30 January 1956) was an Irish barrister and politician.

Early life

Keane was the son of Sir Richard Keane, 4th Baronet and Adelaide Vance, daughter of John Vance MP. He was educated at

Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , hea ...

and

Royal Military Academy Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Si ...

. He succeeded his father as 5th

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

in 1892 and was appointed High Sheriff of County Waterford for 1911–1912. He was a 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 ...

and a director of Bank of Ireland becoming Governor (Chairman) from 1941 to 1943.

Military career

He was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery on 17 June 1893; served in South Africa during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

(mentioned in despatches, London Gazette 10 September 1901, Queen's South Africa Medal). 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 ...

, he was mentioned in despatches, awarded the Distinguished Service Order (London Gazette 14 January 1916) and the French Legion of Honour (London Gazette 14 July 1917). He ended the war as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Tank Corps.

Senate career

Before the creation of 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, Keane had worked with the IAOS, served on

Waterford County Council Waterford County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Phort Láirge) was the authority responsible for local government in County Waterford, Ireland. The remit of Waterford County Council also included some suburbs of the Waterford city not within t ...

and was a member of the All-for-Ireland League that supported Home Rule. In 1922, Sir John was nominated by the President of the Executive Council to Seanad Éireann of the Irish Free State, and served until 1934. In 1923 his home at Cappoquin House was burned by anti-government forces in the Irish Civil War, which he then rebuilt. He later served in the reconstituted

established by the

Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland ( ga, Bunreacht na hÉireann, ) is the fundamental law of Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. The constitution, based on a system of representative democracy, is broadly within the traditi ...

, serving from 1938 to 1948 on the nomination of the Taoiseach. It has been said that, by this time, he was "widely regarded as the quintessence of intelligent ex-unionism".

Shannon electrification scheme

In 1925 he was a major opponent of the Shannon electrification scheme, describing it as "the poisonous virus of nationalisation".

Censorship of publications

In 1942 he was involved in the first occasion on which the Seanad censored itself. On 18 November 1942, Sir John moved: "That, in the opinion of

, the Censorship of Publications Board appointed by the Minister for Justice under the Censorship of Publications Act, 1929, has ceased to retain public confidence, and that steps should be taken by the Minister to reconstitute the board." and sparked four days of fierce debate, carrying over to 2, 3, and concluding on 9 December 1942. He quoted extensively from one book '' The Tailor and Ansty'' by Eric Cross, which was banned in Ireland soon after its first publication in that year. The Editor of Debates prudishly excluded the quotation from the Official Report; the entry states only: "The Senator quoted from the book". He taunted

William Magennis William Magennis (18 May 1867 – 30 March 1946) was an Irish politician and university professor. Early and personal life Born in Belfast, he was educated at Belvedere College, Dublin, and University College Dublin (UCD). In 1893 he was called ...

for thinking that two men embracing in another book amounted to

sodomy Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non- procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''sod ...

. At the end of the debate and much discussion in the public press, his point made, Sir John sought leave to withdraw the motion. The question "That leave be given by the Seanad to withdraw the motion, item No. 2, on the Order Paper" was put and negatived. The question on the main motion was then duly put and declared negatived. However Senators claimed for a division, and the motion was defeated: For 2 votes - Sir John Keane and Joseph Johnston - Against 34 votes.

Family

He married Lady Eleanor Lucy Hicks-Beach, the eldest daughter of

Michael Hicks-Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn Michael Edward Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn, (23 October 1837 – 30 April 1916), known as Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Bt, from 1854 to 1906 and subsequently as The Viscount St Aldwyn to 1915, was a British Conservative politician. Known as "B ...

and his second wife Lady Lucy Fortescue, with whom he had one son and three daughters.

National Portrait Gallery

The UK's National Portrait Gallery includes three photographic portraits of Sir John Keane taken by Bassano's studio on 30 March 1920.

References

External links

* (gives birth and death as 1873–1956)
The full text of the Official Report of historical debates in the upper (and lower) house of the Irish parliament
(gives birth and death as 1872–1960) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Keane, John 1873 births Politicians from County Cork People educated at Clifton College 1956 deaths Keane, John, 5th Baronet Irish businesspeople Members of the 1922 Seanad Members of the 1925 Seanad Members of the 1928 Seanad Members of the 1931 Seanad Members of the 2nd Seanad Members of the 3rd Seanad Members of the 4th Seanad Members of the 5th Seanad Politicians from County Waterford High Sheriffs of County Waterford Irish barristers Royal Tank Regiment officers Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Presidential appointees to the Council of State (Ireland) Royal Artillery officers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I Nominated members of Seanad Éireann Independent members of Seanad Éireann