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 Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...

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 14th ...

in 1892 and was appointed

High Sheriff of County Waterford The High Sheriff of County Waterford was the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Waterford. Initially, an office for a lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became an annual appointment following the Provisions of Oxford ...

for 1911–1912. He was a member of

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann ( ; ; "Senate of Ireland") is the senate of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (defined as the house of representatives). It is commonly called the Seanad or ...

and a director of

Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland Group plc () is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history. At ...

becoming Governor (chairman) from 1941 to 1943.

Military career

Keane was commissioned into the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It was created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of the regiment, the ...

as a second lieutenant on 17 June 1893, and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 17 June 1896. He served in South Africa during the

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

, during which he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 18 June 1900. For his service in this war he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

(London Gazette 10 September 1901) and received the

Queen's South Africa Medal The Queen's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, and to civilians employed in an official capacity, who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Altogether twenty-six clasps wer ...

. In October 1902, Keane was seconded as staff officer and appointed aide-de-camp to Sir Henry Arthur Blake, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Hong Kong. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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 (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

in 1922, Keane had worked with the IAOS, served on

Waterford County Council Waterford County Council () 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 the remit of Waterford City Council. ...

and was a member of the

All-for-Ireland League The All-for-Ireland League (AFIL) was an Irish, Munster-based political party (1909–1918). Founded by William O'Brien Member of parliament, MP, it generated a new national movement to achieve agreement between the different parties concerned o ...

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 The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

, which he then rebuilt. He later served in the reconstituted

established by the

Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland (, ) is the constitution, fundamental law of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. It guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected non-executi ...

, 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". In 1925 he was a major opponent of the Shannon hydroelectric 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 (), also called buggery in British English, principally refers to either anal sex (but occasionally also oral sex) between people, or any Human sexual activity, sexual activity between a human and another animal (Zoophilia, bestiality). I ...

. 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

In 1907, he married Lady Eleanor 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 National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

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 People educated at Clifton College 1956 deaths Keane, John, 5th Baronet 20th-century 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 Military personnel from County Waterford 19th-century Irish businesspeople

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 * Second E ...