Edward Carson

Irish politician, barrister and judge

Born: February 9, 1854 · Died: October 22, 1935

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Who was Edward Carson?

Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson (9 February 1854 – 22 October 1935), from 1900 to 1921 known as Sir Edward Carson, was an Irish unionist politician, barrister and judge, who was the Attorney General and Solicitor General for England, Wales and Ireland, as well as the First Lord of the Admiralty for the Royal Navy. Due to his political campaigns in both Great Britain and Ireland, he became widely regarded as the founding father of Northern Ireland. From 1905 onwards, Carson was both the Irish Unionist Alliance member of parliament (MP) for the Dublin University constituency and leader of the Ulster Unionist Council in Belfast. In 1915, he entered the war cabinet of H. H. Asquith as Attorney-General. However, he was defeated in his ambition to maintain Ireland as a whole in union with Great Britain.

4 Harcourt Street, Dublin, where Carson was born in 1854

Historical significance

His authority as a unionist leader saw him elevated to the British War Cabinet as a Minister without Portfolio in 1917, and he was subsequently appointed to the judicial role of Lord of Appeal in Ordinary in the House of Lords in 1921, with the political title Lord Carson of Duncairn. Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson, from 1900 to 1921 known as Sir Edward Carson, was an Irish unionist politician, barrister and judge, who was the Attorney General and Solicitor General for England, Wales and Ireland, as well as the First Lord of the Admiralty for the Royal Navy.

Carson addressing Parliament as depicted in Vanity Fair in 1893

Sources and further reading

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MLA

“Edward Carson.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/edward-carson/. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

APA

Edward Carson. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 29, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/edward-carson/

Chicago

“Edward Carson.” thisDay. Accessed October 29, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/edward-carson/.

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