Frederick MacSorley or McSorley (1892 – 9 February 1948) was a

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 ...

-based Irish surgeon and independent member of the

House of Commons of Northern Ireland The House of Commons of Northern Ireland was the lower house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The upper house in the bicameral parliament was called the Senate. It was abolished with the ...

. He unsuccessfully stood as an independent for

Queen's University of Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

before being elected in July 1945. His initial run for office was seen as encouragement for more Catholics to vote.

Biography

MacSorley came from a middle-class Belfast Catholic family with deep clerical and medical connections – one brother was a member of the

Redemptorist The Redemptorists, officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (), abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothers). It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scal ...

order, a sister a nun and several cousins and brothers also doctors. He was educated at St. Malachy's College and entered Queen's University Belfast. He qualified as a physician in 1916, took his doctorate of medicine in 1922. In 1930, he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. He worked as a visiting physician at both the

Mater Infirmorum Hospital The Mater Infirmorum Hospital, commonly known as The Mater, is an acute hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It provides services to most of North Belfast and South Antrim, reaching as far as Glengormley, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey It is m ...

and

Belfast City Hospital The Belfast City Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a 900-bed modern university teaching hospital providing local acute services and key regional specialities. Its distinctive orange tower block dominates the Belfast skyline being the th ...

for many years. While still in office, he died at his home in Belfast, aged 56. He was survived by his wife, Jane Mary, and their six children, four sons, Rev. Liam MacSorley, Dr. Michael MacSorley, Rev Frederick MacSorley, and Dr. Eamon MacSorley, and daughters Maureen MacSorley and Kathleen MacSorley. At his funeral, Bishop Daniel Mageean presided and the Archbishop of Armagh John D'Alton attended. Significantly, the Unionist Prime Minister of Northern Ireland

Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough (9 June 1888 – 18 August 1973), styled Sir Basil Brooke, 5th Baronet, between 1907 and 1952, and commonly referred to as Lord Brookeborough, was an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician who s ...

was represented by Mr W.N. McWilliam.

References

1892 births 1948 deaths People educated at St Malachy's College Surgeons from Northern Ireland Independent members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland for Queen's University of Belfast Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1945–1949 Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland 20th-century Irish surgeons Medical doctors from Belfast {{Parliament-of-Northern-Ireland-member-stub