William Edward Thrift (28 February 1870 – 23 April 1942) was an Irish university professor, an

independent Unionist Independent Unionist has been a label sometimes used by candidates in elections in the United Kingdom, indicating a support for British unionism (not to be confused with trade unionism). It is most popularly associated with candidates in electi ...

member of the

House of Commons of Southern Ireland The Parliament of Southern Ireland was a Home Rule legislature established by the British Government during the Irish War of Independence under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It was designed to legislate for Southern Ireland,"Order in Cou ...

and an independent

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). He was born in England, grew up in Carlow, and was educated at

The High School, Dublin The High School is a 12–18 mixed, Church of Ireland, independent secondary school in Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland. It was established in 1870 at Harcourt Street before moving to Rathgar in 1971 and amalgamated with The Diocesan School for Girl ...

and at

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 ...

(TCD) (BA 1893, MA 1896, Fellow 1896). He served as Erasmus Smith's Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin from 1901 to 1929.Erasmus Smith's professors of Mathematics
Mathematics at TCD 1592–1992 He was awarded DSc in 1936. He was appointed

Provost of Trinity College Dublin The following persons have been provost of Trinity College Dublin. References {{University of Dublin, Trinity College Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxt ...

in 1937, serving until his death in 1942. He was also active in politics. He was elected to the House of Commons of Southern Ireland at the 1921 elections, representing the

Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...

constituency. As an independent Unionist, he did not participate in the

Second Dáil The Second Dáil () was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 16 August 1921 until 8 June 1922. From 1919 to 1922, Dáil Éireann was the revolutionary parliament of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic. The Second Dáil consisted of members elected ...

. He was re-elected for the same constituency at the 1922 general election and became a member of 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 Provision ...

. He was re-elected at the next five general elections until 1937 when he retired from politics.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thrift, William 1870 births 1942 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Fellows of Trinity College Dublin Independent TDs Members of the 2nd Dáil Members of the 3rd Dáil Members of the 4th Dáil Members of the 5th Dáil Members of the 6th Dáil Members of the 7th Dáil Members of the 8th Dáil People educated at The High School, Dublin People from Halifax, West Yorkshire People of the Irish Civil War (Pro-Treaty side) Provosts of Trinity College Dublin Teachtaí Dála for Dublin University