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George Wolfe (Irish politician)

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George Wolfe
Teachta Dála
In office
August 1923 – January 1933
ConstituencyKildare
Personal details
Born(1859-12-16)16 December 1859
Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare, Ireland
Died1 December 1941(1941-12-01) (aged 81)
Forenaghts, County Kildare, Ireland
Political partyCumann na nGaedheal
Spouse
Emily Leeman (née Smethurst)
(m. 1888; died 1910)
Children1
Education
Alma materTrinity College Dublin
Military service
Branch/service
Years of service1882–1890
RankMajor
Unit
Battles/warsAnglo-Egyptian War

George Wolfe (16 December 1859 – 1 December 1941) was an Irish Cumann na nGaedheal politician, soldier, landowner, antiquarian, and farmer.[1] He served for nine years as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kildare constituency.[2]

Early and personal life

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George Wolfe was born 16 December 1859 at Bishopland, Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare, the younger son among two sons and one daughter of Theobald George Samuel Wolfe (1815–1872), landowner, of Bishopland and Forenaghts, Naas, County Kildare, and his wife Elizabeth Wolfe (née Ball)[1] In 1870, his father had inherited the extensive Forenaghts estate.

Wolfe was educated at Rathmines School, Dublin; Trinity College Dublin; and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[1] He succeeded as head of the family at Forenaghts on the death of his elder brother, Richard Wolfe in 1885.

In 1888, he married Emily Leeman (née Smethurst) (d. 1910), only child of Richard Smethurst of Elterbeck Hall, Chorley, Lancashire, and widow of Joseph Johnson Leeman, MP for York. They had one daughter.[1]

Army career

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In 1882, he was commissioned lieutenant in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, and served at the Battle of Tell El Kebir in the Anglo-Egyptian War (being awarded a medal with clasp and the Khedive's Star), and in the 1884–1885 Sudanese war. After service with the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars (1885–1890), he retired from the army with the rank of major.

Political career

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Wolfe was served on Kildare County Council from 1899 to 1920; and was its vice-chairman from 1911 to 1920. He was elected to Dáil Éireann on his first attempt, at the 1923 general election, becoming the only Cumann na nGaedheal TD from the 3-seat Kildare constituency in the 4th Dáil. He was re-elected at the June 1927 general election and again at the September 1927 general election, but did not stand at the 1932 general election.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d White, Lawrence William. "Wolfe, George". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  2. ^ "George Wolfe". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  3. ^ "George Wolfe". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
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