Sir Maziere Brady, 1st Baronet PC (20 July 1796 – 13 April 1871) was an Irish judge, notable for his exceptionally long tenure as Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
Brady was born in Dublin, the second son of Francis Brady of Booterstown and his wife Charlotte Hodgson. Educated at the University of Dublin, he was called to the Bar in 1819 and became King's Counsel in 1835.
He was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland in 1837 and Attorney-General for Ireland the following year. In 1840 he was appointed Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland. In 1846 he was appointed Lord Chancellor of Ireland and served in that office, with short intervals for 20 years. He retired in 1866 and was made a Baronet, of Hazelbrook in the County of Dublin, in 1869. His appointment ended the practice which grew up after the Act of Union (1800) of appointing only English lawyers as Chancellor.
According to Elrington Ball, Brady's Lord Chancellorship was notable for length but nothing else; by general agreement he was an excellent Chief Baron, but the more onerous and largely political office of Chancellor was beyond his capacity.[1]
Brady married Elizabeth Buchanan in 1823 and they had five children, including Francis who succeeded to the title and followed his father to the Bar. Elizabeth died in 1858; in 1860 Brady remarried Mary Hatchell.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Stephen Woulfe |
Solicitor-General for Ireland 1837–1839 |
Succeeded by David Richard Pigot |
| Preceded by Nicholas Ball |
Attorney-General for Ireland 1839–1840 |
Succeeded by David Richard Pigot |
| Preceded by Stephen Woulfe |
Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer 1840–1846 |
Succeeded by David Richard Pigot |
| Preceded by Sir Edward Sugden |
Lord Chancellor of Ireland 1846–1852 |
Succeeded by Francis Blackburne |
| Preceded by Francis Blackburne |
Lord Chancellor of Ireland 1853–1858 |
Succeeded by Sir Joseph Napier |
| Preceded by Sir Joseph Napier |
Lord Chancellor of Ireland 1859–1866 |
Succeeded by Francis Blackburne |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Hazelbrook) 1869–1871 |
Succeeded by Francis William Brady |