Thomas Cusack-Smith
Sir Thomas Berry Cusack-Smith PC (1795 – 13 August 1866)[1] was an Irish politician and judge. He was nicknamed "TBC Smith" or "Alphabet Smith".
Family and education
He was the younger son of Sir William Cusack-Smith, 2nd Baronet, Baron of the Exchequer and his wife Hester Berry, and grandson of Sir Michael Smith, 1st Baronet, Master of the Rolls in Ireland from 1801 to 1806. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He entered Lincoln's Inn in 1817 and was called to the Irish Bar in 1819.[2] He married Louisa Smith-Barry, of the well-known Smith-Barry family which owned Fota Island, Cork. They had one son, William and five daughters, Hester, Marianne, Anne, Caroline and Frances.[3]
Career
He was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland briefly in 1842, and then Attorney-General for Ireland from 1842 until 1846, in which role he prosecuted Daniel O'Connell.[4] His conduct of the trial attracted severe criticism, and the House of Lords later quashed the guilty verdict for gross irregularities.[5] He was a Member of Parliament for Ripon from 1843 to 1846.[6] He became Master of the Rolls in Ireland in 1846, holding that office until his death, which occurred at Blairgowrie and Rattray in Scotland.[7]
Character and appearance
Like his father he had a reputation for eccentricity and bad temper: during the trial of Daniel O'Connell he challenged one of the opposing counsel, Gerald Fitzgibbon, to a duel, for having allegedly accused him of acting from "private and dishonourable motives". The judges, gravely embarrassed, strongly criticised Cusack-Smith for his actions and persuaded him to drop the matter.[8] His frequent outbursts of bad temper were often attributed to chronic indigestion. An admirer described him as having "a touch of genius" but admitted he was rough and harsh in manner. Charles Gavan Duffy described him as "dignified" but so unhealthy and ghastly in appearance as to resemble "an owl in daylight".[9] Daniel O'Connell called him "the vinegar cruet".
References
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
- ↑ Ball, F. Elrington The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921 John Murray London 1926 Vol. 2 p.356
- ↑ Ball p.356
- ↑ Ball p.357
- ↑ Geoghegan, Patrick M.. Liberator- the life and death of Daniel O'Connell Gill and Macmillan Dublin 2010 pp.166-182
- ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 255. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- ↑ Ball p.357
- ↑ Geoghegan pp.171-2
- ↑ Geoghegan p.167
Sources
- Concise Dictionary of National Biography
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir Thomas Cusack-Smith
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Pemberton Leigh George Cockburn |
Member of Parliament for Ripon 1843 – 1846 With: George Cockburn |
Succeeded by Edwin Lascelles George Cockburn |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by Joseph Devonsher Jackson |
Solicitor-General for Ireland Sep-Nov 1842 |
Succeeded by Richard Wilson Greene |
| Preceded by Francis Blackburne |
Attorney-General for Ireland 1842 - 1846 |
Succeeded by Richard Wilson Greene |
| Preceded by Francis Blackburne |
Master of the Rolls in Ireland 1846–1866 |
Succeeded by John Edward Walsh |