Thomas Ryder Johnson (17 May 1872 – 17 January 1963) was an Irish Labour Party politician and trade unionist who served as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

from 1922 to 1927 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1917 to 1927. He served as a

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 Dublin County from 1922 to 1927. He was a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for the

Labour Panel The Labour Panel ( ga, An Rolla Oibreachais) is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Labour Panel elects eleven senators. ...

from 1928 to 1934.

Early life

Born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, Johnson worked on the docks for an Irish fish merchant, spending much of his time in

Dunmore East Dunmore East () is a popular tourist and fishing village in County Waterford, Ireland. Situated on the west side of Waterford Harbour on Ireland's southeastern coast, it lies within the barony of Gaultier (''Gáll Tír'' – "foreigners' land" ...

and

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 (a ...

.Gaughan, J. Anthony in: McGuire, James and Quinn, James (eds): ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'' From the Earliest Times to the Year 2002;
Royal Irish Academy Vol. 3, Johnson, Thomas Ryder; Cambridge University Press (2009) It was this way that he picked up ideas about socialism and Irish nationalism, joining in 1893 a Liverpool branch of the Independent Labour Party. In 1900 he started work as a commercial traveller, then moved in 1903 with his family to Belfast where he became involved in trade union and labour politics.

Labour activist

In 1907 Johnson helped

James Larkin James Larkin (28 January 1874 – 30 January 1947), sometimes known as Jim Larkin or Big Jim, was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. He was one of the founders of the Irish Labour Party along with James Connolly and Willia ...

organise a strike in the port, but had to watch in dismay as the strike, which began with remarkable solidarity between labour, Orange, and nationalist supporters, collapsed in sectarian rioting. At various times he was the president, treasurer and secretary of the

Irish Trades Union Congress The Irish Trades Union Congress (ITUC) was a union federation covering the island of Ireland. History Until 1894, representatives of Irish trade unions attended the British Trades Union Congress (TUC). However, many felt that they had little im ...

which was, at that time, also the Labour Party in Ireland, until officially founded in 1912 by

James Connolly James Connolly ( ga, Séamas Ó Conghaile; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. Born to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the a ...

and

. Johnson became Vice-president of TUC in 1913, and President in 1915. Johnson sympathized with the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers ( ga, Óglaigh na hÉireann), sometimes called the Irish Volunteer Force or Irish Volunteer Army, was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists and republicans. It was ostensibly formed in respons ...

, many of whom were sacked from their jobs, for illegal activities. During the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

, he noted in his diary that people in Ireland paid little heed to the fate of the defeated revolutionaries. He succeeded as leader of the Labour Party from 1917, when the party did not contest the 1918 general election. When the British government tried to enforce conscription in Ireland in 1918, Johnson led a successful strike in conjunction with other members of the Irish anti-conscription movement.

Politician

He was later elected a TD for Dublin County to the

Third Dáil The Third Dáil was elected at the general election held on 16 June 1922. This election was required to be held under the Anglo-Irish Treaty signed on 6 December 1921. It first met on 9 September and until 6 December 1922, it was the Provisio ...

at the 1922 general election and remained leader of the Labour Party until 1927. As such, he was

in the Dáil 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 th ...

, as the anti-treaty faction of

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

refused to recognise the Dáil as constituted. He issued a statement of support for the

Government of the 4th Dáil The Government of the 4th Dáil or the 2nd Executive Council (19 September 1923 – 23 June 1927) was the Executive Council of the Irish Free State formed after the general election held on 27 August 1923. It was a minority Cumann na nGaedhea ...

when the Army Mutiny threatened civilian control in March 1924.

Later life

Johnson is the only Leader of the Labour Party who served as Leader of the Opposition in the Dáil. He lost his Dáil seat at the September 1927 general election, and the following year he was elected to

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 ...

, where he served until the Seanad's abolition in 1936. In 1896 he met Marie Tregay, then a teacher in St. Multose's National school, outside Kinsale. A native of Cornwall, she had advanced political views. They married in 1898 in Liverpool. Their only son born in 1899, Frederick Johnson, became a well-known actor. Thomas Johnson died on 17 January 1963 at 49 Mount Prospect Avenue,

Clontarf, Dublin Clontarf () is a largely affluent coastal suburb on the Northside of Dublin in the city's Dublin 3 postal district. Historically there were two centres of population, one on the coast towards the city, and the fishing village of Clontarf Sheds, ...

. Each summer, Labour Youth holds the "Tom Johnson Summer School" to host panel discussions, debates and workshops.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Thomas 1872 births 1963 deaths Labour Party (Ireland) senators Labour Party (Ireland) TDs Leaders of the Labour Party (Ireland) Members of the 3rd Dáil Members of the 4th Dáil Members of the 5th Dáil Members of the 1928 Seanad Members of the 1931 Seanad Members of the 1934 Seanad People of the Irish Civil War (Pro-Treaty side) Politicians from Liverpool

Early life

Labour activist

Politician

Later life

Further reading

References