William Monsell, 1st Baron Emly Personal Computer was an Anglo-Irish landowner and Liberal politician.
Background
Monsell was born to William Monsell (1778–1822), of Tervoe, Clarina, County Limerick and Olivia, daughter of Sir John Johnson-Walsh, 1st Baronet, of Ballykilcavan. He was educated at Winchester (1826–1830) and Oriel College, Oxford, but he left the university without proceeding to a degree in 1831 As his father had died in 1824, he succeeded to the family estates on coming of age and was a popular landlord, the more so as he was resident.
Education
Oriel College; Winchester College.
Career
He held a number of ministerial positions between 1852 and 1873, notably as President of the Board of Health in 1857 and as Postmaster General between 1871 and 1873. In 1843 he helped found Street Columba"s College, now near Dublin. Monsell served as the Sheriff of County Limerick in 1835.
In 1850, he became a Roman Catholic and thereafter took a prominent part in Catholic affairs, especially in Parliament.
In 1852 Monsell was appointed Clerk of the Ordnance by Lord Aberdeen, a post he retained until 1857, the last two years under the premiership of Lord Palmerston. In 1855 he was sworn of the Privy Council.
He was briefly President of the Board of Health under Palmerston in 1857 and later served under Lord Russell as Paymaster-General and Vice-President of the Board of Trade in 1866 and under William Ewart Gladstone as Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies between 1868 and 1871 and as Postmaster-General between January 1871 and November 1873. He was also Lord Lieutenant of County Limerick between 1871 and 1894 and Vice-Chancellor of the Royal University of Ireland between 1885 and 1894.
On 12 January 1874 Monsell was raised to the peerage as Baron Emly, of Tervoe in the County of Limerick.
He lost much of his popularity in Ireland during his later years, because of his opposition to the Irish National Land League and to the home rule movement in Ireland. Lord Emly was twice married. Lord Emly died in April 1894, aged 81.
Politics
His work being chiefly parliamentary, he wrote little, but published some articles in the Home and Foreign Review and a "Lecture on the Roman Question" (1860).
Membership
15th United Kingdom Parliament. 16th United Kingdom Parliament. 17th United Kingdom Parliament.
18th United Kingdom Parliament.
19th United Kingdom Parliament. 20th United Kingdom Parliament]
In 1847, he was elected Member of Parliament for County Limerick as a Liberal, and represented the constituency until 1874.