Isaac Butt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Isaac Butt QC MP
Isaac Butt, portrait by John Butler Yeats
1st Leader of the Home Rule League
In office 21 November 1873 – 5 May 1879
Succeeded by	William Shaw
Member of Parliament for Limerick
In office 1871–1879 Serving with George Gavin (to 1874) Richard O'Shaughnessy (from 1874)
Preceded by	Francis William Russell George Gavin
Succeeded by	Daniel Fitzgerald Gabbett Richard O'Shaughnessy
Member of Parliament for Youghal
In office 1852–1865
Preceded by	Thomas Chisholm Anstey
Succeeded by	Joseph Neale McKenna
Personal details
Born	6 September 1813 Glenfin, County Donegal, Ulster, Ireland
Died	5 May 1879 (aged 65) Clonskeagh, Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Home Rule League (from 1873)
Other political affiliations	Home Government Association (1870–73) Irish Conservative Party (until 1870)
Alma mater	Trinity College Dublin
Occupation	Professor, lawyer, politician, and Queen's Counsel

Isaac Butt (born September 6, 1813 – died May 5, 1879) was an important Irish barrister (a type of lawyer who argues cases in court), editor, and politician. He served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was also an economist and founded several important Irish nationalist groups.

Butt led the Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society in 1836, the Home Government Association in 1870, and the Home Rule League in 1873. He believed that "Home Rule" would help Ireland and Great Britain stay connected. He thought it would make the Act of Union of 1800 clearer. He imagined a federal United Kingdom, where Ireland would have more self-rule but still be part of Britain.

As an economist, Butt studied how to use and share resources. He looked at problems in the Irish economy, like not enough jobs and low productivity. He also edited the Dublin University Magazine, which became a leading Irish journal.

Early Life and Education

Isaac Butt was born in 1813 in Glenfin, a part of County Donegal in Ulster, a northern province in Ireland. His family were Ulster Protestants, and his father was a Church of Ireland rector (a type of priest).

Butt went to secondary school at The Royal School in Raphoe and at Midleton College in County Cork. At age fifteen, he started studying at Trinity College Dublin (TCD). While there, he became a Scholar and president of the College Historical Society.

He also helped start the Dublin University Magazine and edited it for four years. For much of his life, he was a member of the Irish Conservative Party. He also founded a conservative newspaper called the Ulster Times. From 1836 to 1841, he was a professor of political economy at Trinity College.

Legal Career and Changing Views

After becoming a barrister in 1838, Butt quickly became known for his legal skills. He was initially against the Irish nationalist leader Daniel O'Connell's efforts to repeal (cancel) the Act of Union.

However, his experiences during the Great Famine changed his mind. He moved from being an Irish unionist (someone who wanted Ireland to remain fully part of the United Kingdom) to supporting a federal system. This system would give Ireland more self-rule within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

This change led him to get involved in Irish nationalist politics. He helped create the Home Rule League. Butt also helped connect different nationalist groups by defending members of the Fenians Society in court.

Political Career and Home Rule

Butt started his political career as a Tory politician in Dublin Corporation (Dublin's local government). He served as a Member of Parliament for Youghal from 1852 to 1865. Later, he represented Limerick from 1871 to 1879.

The failed Fenian Rising (a rebellion) in 1867 made Butt even more sure that a federal system was the best way forward. After defending the Fenian leaders, Butt became president of the Amnesty Association in 1869. This group worked to free imprisoned Fenians.

In 1870, Butt founded the Irish Home Government Association. This group aimed to gather public support for an Irish parliament. He believed this parliament should have "full control over our domestic affairs." He thought Home Rule would improve relations between Ireland and Britain.

In November 1873, Butt replaced the Association with the Home Rule League. He saw this as a group to push for change, not a traditional political party. In the 1874 general election, 60 members of the League were elected. They formed the Irish Parliamentary Party.

However, many of these elected members were wealthy and leaned more towards the Liberal side. Around this time, Charles Stewart Parnell joined the League. Parnell had more radical ideas than most of the existing Home Rulers.

Challenges and Decline of Influence

Butt struggled to win major changes in Westminster (the British Parliament). He wanted an amnesty for the Fenians, secure land for tenant farmers, and Home Rule. Many Fenians and tenant farmers were unhappy with Butt's polite approach. They felt he was not pushing hard enough for laws to be passed.

However, they did not openly criticize him because he had defended the Fenian prisoners in 1867. Soon, a Home Ruler from Belfast named Joseph Gillis Biggar began using a tactic called "obstructionism." This meant talking for a very long time in Parliament to stop bills from being passed.

When Parnell entered Parliament, he joined Biggar and others who used obstructionism. This caused chaos in Parliament, with some debates lasting for 45 hours straight. Butt was getting older and was not well. He thought this tactic was not helpful. In July 1877, Butt threatened to resign if obstruction continued. This created a rift between him and Parnell.

Parnell's popularity grew among both Fenians and Home Rulers. The situation reached a peak in December 1878. Parliament was called back to discuss a war in Afghanistan. Butt believed this discussion was too important to be interrupted by obstructionism. He publicly told the Irish members to stop.

The young nationalist John Dillon strongly criticized Butt for this. Other Home Rulers supported Dillon at a meeting in February 1879. Although Butt defended himself with dignity, everyone knew his time as leader was ending.

Butt, who had been suffering from bronchitis, had a stroke in May and died within a week. William Shaw replaced him, and then Charles Stewart Parnell became the leader in 1880.

Later Life and Legacy

Isaac Butt died on May 5, 1879, in Clonskeagh, Dublin. His body was taken by train to Stranorlar in County Donegal. He is buried in a corner of the Church of Ireland cemetery there. It is said he used to sit and dream under a tree in that spot as a boy.

Despite his challenges, Butt inspired strong loyalty in his friends. Some, like John Butler Yeats (father of the poet W. B. Yeats) and Edward Thomas O'Dwyer, a future Catholic Bishop, remained upset with Parnell for his role in Butt's decline.

Since 2010, the Church of Ireland parishes in Stranorlar have held an annual memorial service and lecture in Butt's honor. They invite people from law, politics, and journalism to discuss his life. His grave has also been restored.

In Literature

• The novel Hogan MP by May Laffan Hartley includes a character named "Mr. Rebutter," who is based on Isaac Butt.
• Butt also makes a brief appearance in Harry Harrison's alternate history novels, the Stars and Stripes trilogy.

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