Thomas James Stanislaus Harbison (8 November 1864 – 22 November 1930) was an
Irish nationalist
Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...
politician.
He was born in
Cookstown
Cookstown (, ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth-largest town in the county and had a population of 12,546 in the 2021 census. It, along with Magherafelt and Dungannon, is one of the main towns in the Mid-Ulster ...
,
County Tyrone
County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh.
Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...
, to John Harbison, a general merchant, and Isabella Daly.
Harbison studied at
St Malachy's College
St Malachy's College, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the oldest Catholic diocesan college in Ulster. The college's alumni and students are known as Malachians.
History
The college, founded by William Crolly, Bishop William Crolly, opened on th ...
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 ...
. He became active in the
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 ...
, acting from 1906 until 1910 as the
election agent
An election agent is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is sent by those running the election. The term is most used in elections in the United Kingdom, as well as some ...
Tom Kettle
Thomas Michael Kettle (9 February 1880 – 9 September 1916) was an Ireland, Irish economist, journalist, barrister, writer, war poet, soldier and Irish Home Rule Bill, Home Rule politician. As a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, he was ...
. In 1911, he was elected to Tyrone County Council.
In 1916 Harbison believed that his Irish Parliamentary Party would "never entertain the idea" of partition. After attending the
Irish Convention
The Irish Convention was an assembly which sat in Dublin, Ireland from July 1917 until March 1918 to address the '' Irish question'' and other constitutional problems relating to an early enactment of self-government for Ireland, to debate it ...
, (July 1917 - March 1918) he was elected to Westminster at the
1918 East Tyrone by-election
The 1918 East Tyrone by-election was held on 3 April 1918. The by-election was held due to the resignation of the incumbent Irish Parliamentary Party MP, William Redmond. It was won by the Irish Parliamentary candidate Thomas Harbison. The b ...
, after Redmond resigned it to contest
Waterford City
Waterford ( ) is a city in County Waterford in the south-east of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford Harbour. It is the oldest1918 general election, Harbison was elected for North East Tyrone. Speaking in the House of Commons on (11 November 1920), the day that the
Government of Ireland Act 1920
The Government of Ireland Act 1920 ( 10 & 11 Geo. 5. c. 67) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act's long title was "An Act to provide for the better government of Ireland"; it is also known as the Fourth Home Rule Bi ...
was passed, Harbison made clear his feelings on the Act and the Partition of Ireland:
At the
1921 Northern Ireland general election
The 1921 Northern Ireland general election was held on Tuesday, 24 May 1921. It was the first election to the Parliament of Northern Ireland. Ulster Unionist Party members won two-thirds of votes cast and more than three-quarters of the seats in ...
, Harbison was elected on an
abstentionist
Abstentionism is the political practice of standing for election to a deliberative assembly while refusing to take up any seats won or otherwise participate in the assembly's business. Abstentionism differs from an election boycott in that abst ...
1922 United Kingdom general election
The 1922 United Kingdom general election was held on Wednesday 15 November 1922. It was won by the Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Andrew Bonar Law, which gained an overall majority over the Labour Party, led by J. R. Clynes, and ...
, he was elected for the Westminster constituency of Fermanagh and Tyrone along with
Cahir Healy
Charles Everard Healy (2 December 1877 – 8 February 1970) was an Ireland, Irish politician. He was a leader of northern nationalists and a self-educated man who made major contributions to Ireland's political, cultural and literary heritage. ...
for the Nationalist Party. With majorities of more than 6,000 votes over the Unionist candidates, their elections were seen as a plebiscite on the issue of the partition of Ireland.Phoenix, Eamon & Parkinson, Alan (2010), ''Conflicts in the North of Ireland, 1900-2000'', Four Courts Press, Dublin, Pg 142, ISBN 978 1 84682 189 9 He stood down from the Westminster seat at the 1924 election, and in 1927 took his seat at Stormont. In 1929, he stood down from his Stormont seat, but was again elected to Westminster, serving until his death a year later.