Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

John Blennerhassett (1691 – 5 May 1775) was an Anglo-Irish politician who represented two constituencies in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fr ...

between 1709 and 1775.Sir Bernard Burke, ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Ireland'' (1899), 48. Blennerhassett was born in

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the cou ...

, the eldest son of John Blennerhassett and Margaret Crosbie. He served in the

Kerry Militia The Kerry Militia was a military organization of volunteer soldiers from County Kerry in Ireland, organised by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from the 18th century and lasting until the late 19th century when it was redesignated. History 18th Ce ...

and was a colonel by 1756. He was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1709, taking his father's seat representing

.ThePeerage.com (entry #279655) http://thepeerage.com/p27966.htm#i279655 Between 1713 and 1715, he was MP for

Tralee Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in Coun ...

. He was again returned as the MP for Kerry in 1715, serving until 1727. He served as

High Sheriff of Kerry The High Sheriff of Kerry was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Kerry, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Kerry County Sheriff. The sherif ...

in 1717. Between 1727 and 1760, he served as the MP for Tralee, before serving as MP for Kerry for a third period between 1761 and his death in 1775. He was Father of the Irish House of Commons. He married Jane Denny, with whom he had two sons,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

and

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more w ...

, and four daughters, including Mary, who married

Lancelot Crosbie Lancelot Crosbie (1723 – August 1780) was an Anglo-Irish politician. He was the son of Maurice Crosbie of Ballykealy and Catherine Sandes. He lived at Tubrid House, Ardfert, County Kerry. He entered the Middle Temple in 1743. Crosbie served i ...

, who like his father-in-law was MP for Kerry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blennerhassett, John 1691 births 1775 deaths Irish MPs 1703–1713 Irish MPs 1713–1714 Irish MPs 1715–1727 Irish MPs 1727–1760 Irish MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1769–1776 People from County Kerry 18th-century Anglo-Irish people High Sheriffs of Kerry

Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kerry constituencies