Thomas Harris (Irish politician)


Thomas Harris was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. A native of Cloncurry, he was raised in Prosperous by his aunt Elizabeth Tierney. As a young man Thomas Harris had joined the Gaelic League in Prosperous and subsequently joined the Irish republican Brotherhood. County Kildare, Harris fought with the Maynooth contingent in 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. Harris was captain of the Prosperous Company in 1917 and later Vice-Commandant North Kildare Battalion of the Irish Republican Army in 1921.
A farmer, Harris was first elected to the Kildare constituency in a by-election in July 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.