James G. Douglas

James Green Douglas (11 July 1887 – 16 September 1954) was an Irish businessman and politician.^[1] In 1922 Douglas served as the first-ever Leas-Chathaoirleach (deputy chairperson) of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the newly independent Irish parliament. Douglas would go on to serve in the Seanad for 30 years.

James G. Douglas
Douglas, c. 1940s
Leas-Chathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann
In office 12 December 1922 – 9 December 1925
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Thomas Westropp Bennett
Senator
In office 22 July 1954 – 16 September 1954
In office 21 April 1948 – 14 August 1951
Constituency	Nominated by the Taoiseach
In office 14 August 1951 – 22 July 1954
In office 18 August 1944 – 21 April 1948
In office 27 April 1938 – 8 September 1943
Constituency	Industrial and Commercial Panel
Senator
In office 11 December 1922 – 29 May 1936
Personal details
Born	(1887-07-11)11 July 1887 Dublin, Ireland
Died	16 September 1954(1954-09-16) (aged 67)
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Georgina Culley ​ (m. 1911)​
Children	2, including John

Family

He was the eldest of nine children of John Douglas (1861–1931), originally of Grange, County Tyrone, and his wife, Emily (1864–1933), daughter of John and Mary Mitton of Gortin, Coalisland, County Tyrone.^[2] The genealogy of the Douglas family to which he belonged can be traced to Samuel Douglas of Coolhill, Killyman, County Tyrone.^[3]

On 14 February 1911, Douglas married Georgina (Ena) Culley (1883–1959), originally of Tirsogue, Lurgan, County Armagh. Their children were John Douglas, who replaced his father as senator, and James Arthur Douglas (1915–1990).^[2]

Political career

Douglas was an Irish nationalist Quaker who managed the Irish White Cross from 1920 to 1922. He was appointed by Michael Collins as chair of the committee to draft the Constitution of the Irish Free State following the Irish War of Independence.

Douglas went on to become a very active member of Seanad Éireann between 1922 and 1936 under the constitution he had helped to prepare. In 1922 he was elected as the first deputy chair of the Senate.^[4] The Senate was abolished in 1936 and re-established under the terms of the 1937 Constitution; he was again an active Senator between 1938 and 1943, and from 1944 to 1954.^[5] The topics most associated with him during his work as Senator were international refugees and the League of Nations.