James Charles Dowdall

James Charles Dowdall
Senator
In office
11 December 1922 – 29 May 1936
Personal details
Born(1873-02-18)18 February 1873
Chatham, England
Died28 June 1939(1939-06-28) (aged 66)
Holyhead, Wales
NationalityIrish
Political party
Spouse
​
(m. 1929)​
RelativesThomas Dowdall (brother)

James Charles Dowdall (18 February 1873 – 28 June 1939) was an Irish politician and businessman.[1]

Born in Chatham, England, Dowdall was a founder member and President of the Cork Industrial Development Association and was a butter and margarine manufacturer. He was also a Director of the Lucania Cycle Company, the Cork Gas Company and Hibernian Insurance Company.[2]

He was appointed to the Free State Seanad Éireann as an independent member in December 1922 by the President of the Executive Council, W. T. Cosgrave.[3][4] He was one of a number of Senators with commercial backgrounds nominated by Cosgrave.[5]

In the 1928 Seanad election, six Fianna Fáil Senators were elected under the leadership of Joseph Connolly. They were immediately joined by Colonel Maurice George Moore and subsequently Dowdall found himself frequently joining with the party in divisions together with fellow independent Senator Jennie Wyse Power.[6] He soon joined the party after their entry into the Seanad.[7] Both he and Wyse Power stood as Fianna Fáil candidates in the 1934 Seanad election and were re-elected for nine years and served until the abolition of the Seanad.[citation needed]

Dowdall was also a member of the Governing Body of University College Cork. He died on 28 June 1939 and was buried in St. Finbarr's Cemetery.[citation needed]

He was married to Jane Dowdall.[8] His brother was Thomas Dowdall.[1]

  1. ^ a b Dempsey, Pauric J. "Dowdall, Thomas Patrick". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  2. ^ Gaughan Rev. Anthony (1996), Memoirs of Senator Joseph Connolly. Dublin, Irish Academic Press. p.273
  3. ^ "President's nominees for Seanad". Houses of the Oireachtas. 6 December 1922. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  4. ^ "James Charles Dowdall". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  5. ^ O'Sullivan, Donal (1940), The Irish Free State and Its Senate. London, Faber and Faber. p.91
  6. ^ Gaughan, p.273
  7. ^ O'Sullivan, p.268
  8. ^ "A century of voting rights". Irish Examiner. 17 February 2018.