Samuel White (Irish politician)

Samuel White
Member of Parliament
for Leitrim
In office
5 April 1824 – 12 August 1847
Preceded byLuke White
John Marcus Clements
Succeeded byEdward King-Tenison
Charles Skeffington Clements
Personal details
Bornc. 1784
Died29 May 1854
NationalityIrish
Political partyWhig

Samuel White (c. 1784 – 29 May 1854)[1] was an Irish Whig politician.[2][3]

White was the second son of Luke White, MP for Leitrim from 1818 to his death in 1824, and Elizabeth née de la Maziere. He was also brother of Henry White, MP for County Dublin, and Luke White, Junior, Repeal Association MP for Longford, and, in 1821, married Salisbury Anne Rothe, daughter of George Rothe. He may also have served briefly in the army.[3]

Between 1809 and 1810, he served as High Sheriff of Leitrim and then, upon the death of his father, he received an annuity of £7,000, and immediately declared to stand for election as MP for Leitrim at a by-election in 1824, stating his principles were similar to those of his father who had "loved Ireland and belonged to no party". He was elected unopposed, but then remained fairly silent in the Commons, emulating his brother, Henry, who generally sided with the Whigs. For example, he divided for an advance of capital to Ireland, for inquiries into the Irish church, and against the Irish insurrection bill and the new churches bill. During this time, he also served on the select committee on the state of Ireland.[2][3][4]

As the next election dawned in 1826, he was criticised by pro-Catholic supporters for allying with his Tory colleague John Marcus Clements, and in response claimed to have followed his father's independent and liberal conduct. He was, nevertheless, returned again for the seat and began to serve as foreman of the Leitrim grand jury, a role he would reprise in 1830.[2][3][4]

In parliament, he generally voted for Catholic relief, emancipation for both Catholics and Jews, and reform, and was then returned at elections to the seat for all elections through to 1847, when he retired.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ Rayment, Leigh (16 June 2018). "The House of Commons: Constituencies beginning with "L"". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ a b c d Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. pp. 231–232. Retrieved 4 October 2018 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d e Farrell, Stephen. Fisher, D. R.. (ed.). "WHITE, Samuel (c.1784–1854), of Killakee, co. Dublin". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.