John Thomas Ball

John Thomas Ball QC (24 July 1815 – 17 March 1898) was an Irish barrister, judge and politician in the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Lord Chancellor of Ireland.

He was born in Dundrum, Dublin, eldest son of Major Benjamin Ball, of the 40th Regiment of Foot, who had fought with distinction in the Peninsular War, and Elizabeth Feltus, daughter of Cuthbert Feltus of County Carlow. His formidable grandmother Penelope Paumier is said to have been the main influence in his childhood. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, which he entered when he was only 16, graduating LLD in 1844. He was an outstanding scholar and also enjoyed some reputation as a journalist and minor poet. He became a barrister in 1840, practising mainly in the field of probate and matrimonial law; Queen's Counsel, 1854; Vicar-General of the province of Armagh, 1862; Queen's Advocate in Ireland, 1865; Solicitor General for Ireland, 1868 and Attorney General for Ireland, 1868 and 1874–1875. He became a member of the Privy Council of Ireland in 1868.

He was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Dublin University 1868–1875 and Vice-Chancellor of the University from 1880. His critics regarded him as an opportunist without any strong political convictions: on a celebrated occasion in the House of Commons, when he asked for the precise date of an event, Richard Dowse, the Government spokesman, replied that it was at roughly the time when Ball joined the Conservative party to advance his political career.

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