William Sharman Crawford | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 1844 mezzotint | |
| Born | 3 September 1780 Moira Castle, County Down, Ireland |
| Died | 16 October 1861 (aged 81) Crawfordsburn, County Down, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Known for | campaigning for tenant rights in Ireland as a Radical Member of Parliament |
| Spouse | Mabel Crawford |
| Father | William Sharman |
| Relatives | James Sharman Crawford (son) Mabel Sharman Crawford (daughter) |
William Sharman Crawford (1780–1861) was an Irish landowner who, in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, championed a democratic franchise, a devolved legislature for Ireland, and the interests of the Irish tenant farmer. As a Radical representing first, with Daniel O'Connell's endorsement, Dundalk (1835-1837) and then, with the support of Chartists, the English constituency of Rochdale (1841–1852) he introduced bills to codify and extend in Ireland the Ulster tenant right. In his last electoral contest, standing on the platform of the all-Ireland Tenant Right League in 1852 he failed to unseat the Conservative and Orange party in Down, his native county.