John Maguire (MP)
John Francis Maguire (1815 – 1 November 1872) was an Irish writer and politician. He was MP for Dungarvan from 1852 and later MP for Cork City from 1865 until his death in 1872. He wrote for the Cork Examiner and published The Irish in America (1867).
Politically, Maguire supported Liberal reforms such as the disestablishment of the Church and land reform. In 1870 he joined the Home Rule party.
In May 1872, he took part in a debate on the Women's Disabilities Removal Bill, an early step toward women’s suffrage. He argued that Jane Austen would have supported women’s rights, a remark connected to one of the first Austen mentions in official Parliament business.
Maguire made many contributions to political debate. His book The Irish in America discussed slavery, the trials of Irish immigrants, overcrowding and poverty, and the dangers of sea travel. It also aimed to educate Irish readers about crime, while praising positive Irish traits such as love of life, loyalty, and a strong work ethic, and it highlighted concerns about excessive drinking.
He advocated fair treatment for Roman Catholic Irish soldiers and their families and opposed discriminatory pupil admissions at charitable institutions like the Royal Hibernian Military School, where Catholic children who had lost fathers in service faced unfair treatment.
In 1843 he married Margaret Bailey, daughter of Robert Bailey of Passage West, Cork, and sister-in-law of Sir Edward Sullivan, 1st Baronet, Lord Chancellor of Ireland. They had seven children.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:50 (CET).