The Honorable James Browne (1736/8 – 22 October 1790) was an Irish Member of Parliament and Law Officer. He sat in theHouse of Commons of Ireland from 1768 to 1790.[1]
He was born inCounty Mayo, fourth son ofJohn Browne, 1st Earl of Altamont and Anne Gore, daughter ofSir Arthur Gore, 2nd Baronet and Elizabeth Annesley.[2]
He enteredMiddle Temple in 1755 and wascalled to the Bar in 1760.[3] He was advanced to the rank of PrimeSerjeant-at-law (Ireland) in 1780.[3] He was dismissed following the change of Government in 1782, but was reappointed in 1784 when a promotion to the Bench left the office open. He was dismissed a second time in 1787.[3]He died unmarried in 1790.[4]
Hart suggests that he was a failure as Prime Serjeant, but adds that the office itself was by the 1780s an anachronism.[5] Although in theory, the Prime Serjeant was still the Government's most senior legal advisor, in practice theAttorney General of Ireland had for over a century had precedence over the Serjeants. The office of Prime Serjeant was abolished in 1805 following the death ofArthur Browne.[6]
He was an MP forJamestown from 1768 to 1776, forTuam from 1776 to 1783, and forCastlebar from 1783 to 1790.[1]
| Parliament of Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forJamestown 1768–1776 With:John FitzGibbon | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forTuam 1776–1783 With:Sir Henry Lynch-Blosse, 7th Bt | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCastlebar 1783–1790 With:Thomas Warren | Succeeded by |
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