James Geoghegan

For the 18th-century priest, see James MacGeoghegan. For Fine Gael TD, see James Geoghegan (Fine Gael politician).

James Geoghegan (8 December 1886 – 27 March 1951) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician, barrister and judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1936 to 1950, Attorney General of Ireland from November 1936 to December 1936 and Minister for Justice from 1932 to 1933. He also served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Longford–Westmeath constituency from 1930 to 1936.^[1]

James Geoghegan
Judge of the Supreme Court
In office 22 December 1936 – 23 April 1950
Nominated by	Government of Ireland
Appointed by	Douglas Hyde
Attorney General of Ireland
In office 2 November 1936 – 22 December 1936
President	Éamon de Valera
Preceded by	Conor Maguire
Succeeded by	Patrick Lynch
Minister for Justice
In office 9 March 1932 – 8 February 1933
President	Éamon de Valera
Preceded by	James FitzGerald-Kenney
Succeeded by	P. J. Ruttledge
Teachta Dála
In office June 1930 – 23 December 1936
Constituency	Longford–Westmeath
Personal details
Born	(1886-12-08)8 December 1886 Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland
Died	27 March 1951(1951-03-27) (aged 64) Portobello, Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Eileen Murphy ​ (m. 1928)​
Children	2, including Hugh
Relatives	Mary Finlay Geoghegan (daughter-in-law)
Education	Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar
Alma mater	University College Dublin King's Inns

Early life

Geoghegan was born in Walshestown, County Westmeath, the son of Thomas Geoghegan, a farmer, and his wife Bridget (née Carney). He was educated at CBS Mullingar.

Career

Geoghegan was admitted as a solicitor at the age of 21 and practised in County Cavan and County Monaghan. Relinquishing the solicitor side of the profession, he was called to the Bar of Ireland on 1 November 1915 and to the Bar of England in 1923. He practised successfully as junior counsel before becoming a senior counsel in 1925.

Geoghegan had been a pro-Treaty Redmondite and had joined Cumann na nGaedheal in the early 1920s. He came into contact with Fianna Fáil when he was among those advising Éamon de Valera on the payment of land annuities, and in 1930, he joined that party.^[2] He was elected to Dáil Éireann in a by-election on 13 June 1930 as a Fianna Fáil TD for Longford–Westmeath.^[3] When Fianna Fáil took office in March 1932, he was appointed Minister for Justice. This was a sensitive post, coming in the first change of government since the Civil War. As well as being fitted by his legal expertise, the choice of Geoghegan, with his Cumann na nGaedheal background, offered the opposition reassurance as to de Valera's intentions.^[2] He held the post for almost a year. He resumed his law career when a new government was formed in February 1933 after the 1933 general election. One of Geoghegan's last acts as minister was to sign an order deporting James Gralton from Ireland, the only Irish citizen ever to be deported by the Irish state.^[4] The historian Dónall Ó Drisceoil has suggested that Geoghegan's position as a Knight of Saint Columbanus was why he gave into Catholic Church pressure to deport the "communist" Gralton.^[4]

Over the next few years, he represented the government in several important legal actions.

In 1936, Geoghegan became Attorney General of Ireland,^[5] serving for less than two months. In his brief tenure, he assisted the government in the preparation and enactment of the External Relations Act on 12 December 1936, before being appointed a judge of the Supreme Court on 22 December 1936, vacating his seat in the Dáil. Geoghegan remained on the bench of the Supreme Court until his retirement due to ill health in April 1950. His son, Hugh Geoghegan enjoyed the distinction in 2000 of being the first appointee to Ireland's Supreme Court to follow in his father's footsteps.

Later life and death

Geoghegan had suffered ill health for several years before his retirement. He died in Portobello House, Dublin on 27 March 1951.