Thomas Johnson (Irish politician)

For other people of the same name, see Thomas Johnson (disambiguation).

Thomas Johnson (17 May 1872 – 17 January 1963) was an Irish nationalist and Irish Labour Party leader. He was elected a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin County to the Third Dáil at the 1922 general election and was the leader of the Labour Party until 1927. As such, he was Leader of the Opposition in the Dáil of the Irish Free State, as the anti-treaty faction of Sinn Féin refused to recognise the Dáil as constituted. He is the only Leader of the Opposition from the Labour Party, or indeed from any party other than Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.

He lost his Dáil seat at the September 1927 general election, and the following year he was elected to Seanad Éireann, where he served until the Seanad's abolition in 1936.

Each Summer, Labour Youth holds the "Tom Johnson Summer School" to host panel discussions, debates and workshops.

Further reading

• Thomas Johnson, 1872–1963, John Anthony Gaughan, Kingdom Books, Dublin, 1980, ISBN 0-9506015-3-5

References

Oireachtas
Preceded by Séamus Dwyer (Sinn Féin)	Labour Party Teachta Dála for Dublin County 1922–1927	Succeeded by Joseph Murphy (Ind)
Party political offices
Preceded by New position	Leader of the Opposition 1922–1927	Succeeded by Éamon de Valera
Preceded by ?	Leader of the Labour Party 1917–1927	Succeeded by Thomas J. O'Connell