Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Edward James Saunderson (1 October 1837 – 21 October 1906) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

landowner and prominent

Irish unionist Unionism in Ireland is a political tradition that professes loyalty to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, crown of the United Kingdom and to the union it represents with England, Scotland and Wales. The overwhelming sentiment of Ireland's Pro ...

politician. He led the

Irish Unionist Alliance The Irish Unionist Alliance (IUA), also known as the Irish Unionist Party, Irish Unionists or simply the Unionists, was a unionist political party founded in Ireland in 1891 from a merger of the Irish Conservative Party and the Irish Loyal and ...

between 1891 and 1906.

Early life

Saunderson was born at the family seat of Castle Saunderson, near

Belturbet Belturbet (; ) is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. It lies on the N3 road, around north of Cavan town and from Dublin. It is also located around south of the border with County Fermanagh, part of Northern Ireland, and is from Enniskillen. ...

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

. He was the younger son of Colonel

Alexander Saunderson Colonel Alexander Saunderson (1783–1857) was a Whig MP for Cavan 1826–1831. He was a landed gentleman with 12,000 acres. Although from the Protestant planter tradition, he supported Catholic emancipation. Alexander Saunderson was a k ...

, who served as the

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

Member of Parliament (MP) for

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...

, and

The Hon. ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of cert ...

Sarah Juliana Maxwell. His maternal grandfather was Henry Maxwell, 6th Baron Farnham. The Irish Saundersons were a 17th-century branch of an old family, originally from

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

; a

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

branch, the Saundersons of Saxby, held the titles of Viscount Castleton ( Irish: created 1628) and Baron Saunderson (

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

: created 1714) up to 1723. Saunderson was educated abroad, mostly in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

estates following his death in 1857.

Career

Saunderson was first elected to the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

as the Palmerstonian Liberal member for Cavan in 1865. In 1869, he became a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

. Other than opposing the disestablishment of the Irish church in 1869, he otherwise gave little sign of political interest or activity at this stage. Saunderson lost his seat to the

Home Rule League The Home Rule League (1873–1882), sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was an Irish political party which campaigned for home rule for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, until it was replaced by the Irish Parliam ...

candidates,

Joseph Biggar Joseph Gillis Biggar (c. 1828 – 19 February 1890), commonly known as Joe Biggar D.D. Sheehan, Ireland Since Parnell', London: Daniel O'Connor, 1921. or J. G. Biggar, was an Irish nationalist politician from Belfast. He served as an MP in the ...

and Charles Joseph Fay, at the 1874 general election. In 1885, he stood again for Parliament and was elected as a Conservative for the North Armagh constituency. By this stage, he had become a prominent figure in the

Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...

and in the unionist political movement. He retained his North Armagh seat in the 1886 election. He was subsequently involved in organising the establishment of the

(IUA), a political party which sought to unite the unionist movement across Ireland. He became the IUA's first leader in 1891, a position which he held until his death. Saunderson became known for his uncompromising speeches in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

, and he was nicknamed "the Dancing Dervish" by friends and opponents. He was invested as a member of

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are curre ...

in 1898 in recognition of his political service. Saunderson had entered the Cavan militia (4th battalion

Royal Irish Fusiliers The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry (later changed to light infantry) regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess ...

) in 1862, and was made a major in 1875. He became a colonel in 1886 and was in command of the battalion from 1891 to 1893. In March 1893, Saunderson was one of the signatories of the manifesto of the Ulster Defence Union, launched to organise resistance to the

Second Home Rule Bill The Government of Ireland Bill 1893 (known generally as the Second Home Rule Bill) was the second attempt made by Liberal Party leader William Ewart Gladstone, as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to enact a system of home rule for Ireland. ...

of 1893. He was a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant for Cavan, and was appointed

High Sheriff of Cavan The High Sheriff of Cavan was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Cavan, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Cavan County Sheriff. The sherif ...

in 1859. He served as the grand master of the Orange Order lodge in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

from 1901 to 1903.

Personal life

On 22 June 1865 he married

Helena Emily de Moleyns, a daughter of

Thomas de Moleyns, 3rd Baron Ventry Thomas Townsend Aremberg de Moleyns, 3rd Baron Ventry (born Mullins) (January 1786 – 18 January 1868), was an Anglo-Irish soldier and nobleman. He was the son of Townsend Mullins, the second son of The 1st Baron Ventry, and his second wife ...

and the former Eliza Theodora Blake (a daughter of Sir John Blake, 11th Baronet).'Obituary: Mrs Saunderson', ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', 20 January 1926 Together the couple had four sons (two of whom were

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officers) and a daughter, including: * Rosa Sarah Saunderson (1867–1952), who married Maj. Henry Nugent Head, a son of Henry Haswell Head, in 1892. * Somerset Francis Saunderson (1868–1927), who married Marie Satterfield, a daughter of John M. Satterfield, and former wife of Count Franz Joseph von Larisch. * Armar Dayrolles Saunderson (1872–1952), who married

Anne Mills Archbold Anne Mills Archbold (November 24, 1873 – March 26, 1968) was an American heiress, big game hunter and philanthropist. Her father was the wealthy oil tycoon John Dustin Archbold and Archbold traveled extensively including to study in Paris and ...

, a daughter of

John Dustin Archbold John Dustin Archbold (July 26, 1848 – December 5, 1916) was an American businessman and one of the United States' earliest oil refiners. His small oil company was bought out by John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. Archbold rose rapidly ...

, in 1906. They divorced and he married Mrs. Rose Hogg (d. 1955) of Bagnor Manor, in 1922. * John Vernon Saunderson (1878–1960), who married Hon. Eva Norah Helen Mulholland, a daughter of

Henry Mulholland, 2nd Baron Dunleath Henry Lyle Mulholland, 2nd Baron Dunleath (30 January 1854 – 22 March 1931), was an Irish Conservative Member of Parliament. Early life Dunleath was the second son of John Mulholland, 1st Baron Dunleath and the former Frances Louisa Lyle (d ...

, in 1910. In his private life, Saunderson was well known as a keen

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

sman, and his character was deeply marked by stern religious feeling. He was a devout

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

. He died of pneumonia in 1906. In 1910, a statue, erected by public subscription, was unveiled at

Portadown Portadown ( ) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is based on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population ...

Descendants

In 1947, his grandson, Alexander Saunderson (1917–2004), married Princess Louise (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Louise Astor Van Alen), great-granddaughter of Titanic victim,

John Jacob Astor IV John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He was among the most ...

, and the ex-wife of two different Georgian Mdivani princes. They remained married until her death in 1998. Through his daughter Rosa, he was a grandfather of Col. Henry William Nugent Head (1898–1964), who married Ruth M. Kresge, daughter of American chain store executive

Sebastian S. Kresge Sebastian Spering Kresge (July 31, 1867 – October 18, 1966) was an American businessman. He created and owned two chains of department stores: the S. S. Kresge Company, one of the 20th century's largest discount retail organizations, and the ...

. A prominent sportsman, in 1928 he hunted with

Theodore Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory, Australia * Theodore, Queensland, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore Reservoir, in Saskatchewan People * Theodore (gi ...

and

Kermit Roosevelt Kermit Roosevelt Sr. Military Cross, MC (October 10, 1889 – June 4, 1943) was an American businessman, soldier, explorer, and writer. A son of Theodore Roosevelt, the List of Presidents of the United States, 26th President of the United State ...

, who was his best man at his wedding to Ruth in 1933.

Bibliography

* Reginald Lucas, ''Memoir'' (1908). * "Col. Saunderson Dead.", ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 22 October 1906.

References

External links

*
Edward James Saunderson (1837–1906), Politician; Lord Lieutenant of Cavan
at the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunderson, Edward James 1837 births 1906 deaths 19th-century Anglo-Irish people British Militia officers Irish Conservative Party MPs High sheriffs of Cavan Irish Unionist Party MPs Irish Liberal Party MPs Irish justices of the peace Lord-lieutenants of Cavan Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Politicians from County Cavan Royal Irish Fusiliers officers UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Cavan constituencies (1801–1922) Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Armagh constituencies (1801–1922) Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom Leaders of the Ulster Unionist Party People from Belturbet