Name Henry Sheridan Role Politician | Died April 19, 1906 Party Liberal Party | |
Henry Brinsley Sheridan (1820 – 19 April 1906) was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1857 and 1886, representing Dudley.
Life
Sheridan was the son of Garrett Sheridan of Cavan, Ireland and his wife Jane Juliana Darnley, daughter of Sir Richard Perrot, Bart. He was educated at Brighton and was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1856. He was a captain of the 6th Cinque Port Artillery Volunteer Corps and a J.P. for Middlesex, Westminster, Kent, and the Liberties of the Cinque Ports.
Sheridan wrote a poem entitled St. Lawrence's Well which was published in 1845.
Sheridan was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dudley in 1857 after the sitting MP, Stafford Northcote, decided not to contest the general election of that year. Northcote had fallen out politically with Lord Ward, the owner of Dudley Castle and influential local landowner. Sheridan was unopposed at the election as both Radical and Tory factions in the town combined to support him in order to lessen the local political influence of Lord Ward. He subsequently won contested elections in 1859 and 1865. In 1868 he was elected unopposed. At the general election in February 1874, Sheridan won but the election was declared void on 28 April 1874 on the grounds that rioting took place at the poll. At the subsequent by-election held on 21 May 1874, he was again returned, defeating the ironmaster, Noah Hingley. He won the seat again in 1880 and 1885. He finally lost the seat in 1886, beaten at the election by Brooke Robinson.
Sheridan was a Fellow of the Geographical Society and was on the council of the Kent Archaeological Society. He owned property at Litton Cheney in Dorset.
Sheridan married Elizabeth Frances Wood, eldest surviving daughter of the Rev. John Wood on 10 December 1850. The marriage took place at Walworth. Sheridan was stated to be living at Brompton at this time.
Henry Brinsley Sheridan died on 19 April 1906 aged 86.