Henry Bruen (1828–1912) facts for kids

Henry Bruen (born June 16, 1828 – died March 8, 1912) was an Irish politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party. From 1857 to 1880, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for County Carlow. This meant he had a seat in the House of Commons, which was part of the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland at that time. Henry Bruen was the third person in his family named Henry Bruen to represent County Carlow in Parliament.

Henry Bruen was first elected in the 1857 general election. He won without anyone running against him, taking over the seat his father, Henry Bruen (1789–1852), had held. He was re-elected easily in the next few elections. However, in the 1880 general election, both Conservative MPs for Carlow, including Henry Bruen, lost their seats. They were defeated by candidates from the Home Rule League, a group that wanted more self-governance for Ireland. Shortly after this defeat, on April 26, 1880, he was made a member of the Privy Council of Ireland. This was a group of important advisors to the monarch.

Besides being an MP, Henry Bruen held other important roles. He was the High Sheriff of Carlow in 1855 and the High Sheriff of Wexford in 1883. A High Sheriff was a senior official in a county, responsible for law and order. He also served as a Justice of the Peace in both counties. A Justice of the Peace is a volunteer who handles minor legal cases and duties. He was also a Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) for County Carlow, which meant he helped the Lord-Lieutenant, a representative of the monarch in the county.

His Family and Home

Henry Bruen was the youngest child and only son of Henry Bruen (1789–1852) and Anne Wandesforde Kavanagh. His father had also been an MP for County Carlow for many years. His grandfather, Henry Bruen (1741–1795), was a member of the Irish Parliament before Ireland joined with Great Britain in 1800. His uncle, Francis Bruen, was an MP for the town of Carlow in the 1830s.

Henry Bruen lived at Coolbawn in County Wexford and at Oak Park in County Carlow. Oak Park was a large estate near Carlow town that his grandfather bought in 1775. The Bruen family owned Oak Park until 1957.

On June 6, 1854, Henry Bruen married Mary Margaret Conolly. They had 11 children together. His oldest son, Henry (1856–1927), inherited the family estates. This son also became a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, a part of the army. Another son, Edward Francis Bruen, became an admiral in the Royal Navy. In 1874, one of his daughters, Katharine Anne Bruen, married Thomas McClintock-Bunbury, 2nd Baron Rathdonnell.

Henry Bruen passed away at Oak Park in March 1912. He was 83 years old.