Patrick Norton (Irish politician) explained

Office:Senator
Term Start:5 November 1969
Term End:1 June 1973
Constituency:Administrative Panel
Office1:Teachta Dála
Term Start1:April 1965
Term End1:June 1969
Constituency1:Kildare
Birth Place:County Kildare, Ireland
Nationality:Irish
Father:William Norton

Patrick Norton (born 1928) is an Irish former politician. He first stood for election at the Kildare by-election on 19 February 1964 but he was not elected.[1] The by-election was caused by the death of his father William Norton, former Tánaiste and Labour Party leader from 1932 to 1960. Patrick Norton was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Labour Party Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kildare constituency at the 1965 general election.[2] [1]

A businessman and property owner, with no previous record of party activism, he strongly opposed Labour's ideological swing to the left in the mid-1960s under Brendan Corish's leadership. After being attacked at the party conference regarding a court case condemning houses that he owned, he left the party in December 1967, insisting it had been captured by "a small but vocal group of fellow travellers".[3]

In February 1969, he joined Fianna Fáil.[2] [4] On joining, he accused Labour of embracing "Cuban socialism".[3] [5] He stood as a Fianna Fáil candidate at the 1969 general election but lost his seat. He was subsequently elected to the 12th Seanad on the Administrative Panel as a Fianna Fáil senator. He also stood as a Fianna Fáil candidate at the 1973 general election for the Dublin South-East constituency but was not elected.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Patrick Norton. ElectionsIreland.org. 28 September 2008.
  2. Web site: Patrick Norton. Oireachtas Members Database. 28 September 2008.
  3. Web site: Norton, William Joseph. Dictionary of Irish Biography. White. Lawrence William. 10 September 2021.
  4. Web site: Political defections through the ages, at home and abroad. 10 September 2021. Irish Independent. 4 December 2013. Fionnán. Sheahan. en.
  5. Book: Gallagher, Michael. The Irish Labour Party in Transition 1957-82. Manchester University Press. 1982.