John Deasy (1856 – 24 February 1896) was an Irish

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

politician whose career ended in scandal after nine years as a Member of Parliament (MP).

Political career

He was first elected to the

United Kingdom House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

as an

Irish Parliamentary Party The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP; commonly called the Irish Party or the Home Rule Party) was formed in 1874 by Isaac Butt, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nati ...

(IPP) MP for

Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

, taking the seat at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

on 23 February 1884 after the resignation of John Daly. At the 1885 general election, he stood in the new West Mayo constituency, winning the seat by an overwhelming majority (of 4,790 to 131 votes) over his sole opponent, a candidate of the

Irish Conservative Party The Irish Conservative Party, often called the Irish Tories, was one of the dominant Irish political parties in Ireland in the 19th century. It was affiliated with the Conservative Party in Great Britain. Throughout much of the century it and t ...

.Walker, op. cit. page 366 He was re-elected unopposed at the 1886 general election. When the party split on the leadership of

Charles Stewart Parnell Charles Stewart Parnell (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1875 to 1891, Leader of the Home Rule Leag ...

in 1891, he joined the majority Anti-Parnellite

Irish National Federation The Irish National Federation (INF) was a nationalist political party in Ireland. It was founded in 1891 by former members of the Irish National League (INL), after a split in the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) on the leadership of Charles ...

. He was returned with a large majority at the 1892 general election.

Downfall

Deasy's career ended in scandal. In July 1893, he was tried at the London County Sessions, on a charge of

indecent assault Indecent assault is an offence of aggravated assault in some common law-based jurisdictions. It is characterised as a sex crime and has significant overlap with offences referred to as sexual assault. England and Wales Indecent assault was a broa ...

against Ellen Lewis, a teenage servant employed at his London lodgings in 75, Warwick-street. Lewis testified that Deasy had pulled her onto the bed and tried to kiss her, but was interrupted by her employer, Mrs Kate Edith Postlethwaite (the landlady, who also gave evidence). Deasy told the court that Lewis had tripped and fallen onto the bed, and that he was helping her get up, but had offered to kiss her. Evidence of Deasy's character was offered by two MPs ( Sir Thomas Grattan Esmonde and Justin McCarthy), and by Sir George Penrose, the former High Sheriff and

Lord Mayor of Cork The Lord Mayor of Cork () is the honorific title of the Chairperson () of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork in Ireland. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council. The incumbent ...

. The jury found Deasy not guilty of indecent assault, but guilty of

common assault Common assault is an offence in English law. It is committed by a person who causes another person to apprehend the immediate use of unlawful violence by the defendant. In England and Wales, the penalty and mode of trial for this offence is pro ...

. He was ordered to pay a fine of £25 and costs. On 17 July 1893, a few days after the completion of his trial, Deasy resigned his seat by becoming Steward of the Manor of Northstead.

Death

He died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in February 1896, aged 39.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deasy, John 1856 births 1896 deaths 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 Irish Parliamentary Party MPs Anti-Parnellite MPs Irish people convicted of assault Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Cork City Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Mayo constituencies (1801–1922) Tuberculosis deaths in Ireland