James McNeill

Timothy James McNeill ( Irish Séamas Mac Néill ; born March 27, 1869 in Glenarm , County Antrim , † December 12, 1938 in London ) was an Irish politician and diplomat.

biography

James McNeill was a younger brother of the Irish nationalist leader Eoin MacNeill . Before the First World War he served in the Indian Civil Service in Calcutta . Although he was not involved in the 1916 Easter Rising , he was subsequently imprisoned. Upon his release he became Chairman of Dublin County Council and worked for the Chairman of the Irish Provisional Government, Michael Collins . In 1927 he was appointed second Governor General of the Irish Free State on the proposal of both Great Britain and Ireland . Although an Irish nationalist himself, there was an open conflict with the President of the Irish Executive Council Eamon de Valera in 1932 . The aim of Eamon de Valera's policy was to minimize the importance of the Irish Governor General. After a scandal in which two ministers Eamon de Valeras left a reception at the French embassy after James McNeill joined them, and lengthy arguments that followed, McNeill resigned on November 1, 1932. Eamon de Valera then tried to integrate the function of Governor General in the office of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. After this was rejected by the British, the proposal came to transfer the powers of the Governor General to a committee, which also did not meet with approval. After it became clear that the appointment of a successor was inevitable, Domhnall Ua Buachalla was appointed to the office.

Web links

• rulers.org