Thomas Harris (Irish politician)

Thomas Harris (1895 – 18 February 1974) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. A native of Cloncurry, he was raised in Prosperous, County Kildare by his aunt Elizabeth Tierney.

Revolutionary period
As a young man he joined Conradh na Gaeilge in Prosperous, and subsequently joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Harris fought with the Maynooth contingent in 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. He was wounded by gunshot wound to right foot, arrested and interned until August 1916. He was captain of the Prosperous Company in 1917 and during the War of Independence served as Battalion Commandant of 2 Battalion (North Kildare), IRA. He took part in destruction of vacated RIC barracks and ambushes up until his arrest in November 1920. Harris was released in December 1921 during the Truce period and was promoted in early 1922 to Brigade Commandant of 7 Brigade (Kildare), 1 Eastern Division, IRA. Taking the anti Treaty side in the Irish Civil War, Harris was captured by National forces on 27 June 1922 (the night before the Four Courts attack) but escaped from Newbridge Camp, County Kildare in October 1922. He resumed active service but resigned from his position as Brigade Commandant in February 1923. Remaining on the run, Harris was captured in September 1923 and interned for about one month. He later applied to the Irish government for a service pension under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934 and was awarded 11 and 123/500 years service in 1936 at Grade C for his service with the Irish Volunteers and the IRA between 1 April 1916 and 30 September 1923.

Politics
A farmer, Harris was first elected to the Kildare constituency in a by-election in June 1931 caused by the death of Labour Party TD, Hugh Colohan. With just over 40% of the vote Harris defeated Cumann na nGaedheal candidate John Curton and future Labour Party leader, William Norton. He served as a member of Dáil Éireann for the next 26 years representing the constituencies of Kildare from 1931 to 1937, Carlow–Kildare from 1937 to 1948, and Kildare again from 1948 to 1957. He lost his seat at the 1957 general election and retired from politics.

Harris was related to Matthew Harris, MP for Galway East from 1885 to 1890.