William Saurin (1757 – 11 January 1839) was an Irish lawyer and politician. He was Attorney-General for Ireland from 1807 to 1822, and for much of that period effective head of the Irish administration.
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Saurin was born in Ulster, the son of a Presbyterian minister of French Huguenot descent. Educated at the University of Dublin, he was called to the Bar in 1780 and after a slow start became one of its acknowledged leaders.
Saurin was a passionate opponent of the Act of Union and entered the Irish House of Commons as member for Blessington to combat it: his speeches against Union were considered among the finest on the topic. That he was appointed Attorney-General for Ireland despite his opposition to the Union and his repeated refusal to stand for the post-Union Parliament is a tribute to his legal eminence.
His tenure as Attorney-General is remarkable not only for its length but for his effective dominance of the Irish administration, a position never equalled by any other holder of the office. The fact that the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was usually absent and that the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Lord Manners was not familiar with the Irish political scene gave Saurin the opportunity to direct the Irish Government of which he took full advantage. As an Ulster Presbyterian it was perhaps natural that he should combine sympathy for the Orange Order with hostility to Catholic Emancipation; but his perceived bias against Catholics destroyed his popularity.
Saurin's effective control of the Dublin Government was well known to and long tolerated by the British Government; in time however his inflexible opinions and unpopularity made him a political liability. In due course the decision was taken to remove him but compensate him by appointment to the Bench. In 1822 the new Lord Lieutenant, Lord Wellesley, offered him the vacant position of Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench for Ireland; when Saurin, who had never shown any interest in the Bench, refused he was dismissed outright.[1] Despite his increasing age he returned to private practice for some years.
Saurin married Mary O'Brien, sister of William O'Brien, 2nd Marquess of Thomond. The celebrated Australian actor William Saurin Lyster was his nephew. Saurin died in Dublin in January 1839.
| Parliament of Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Reilly Richard Annesley |
Member of Parliament for Blessington February–August 1800 With: John Reilly |
Constituency ablished |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by William Plunket |
Attorney-General for Ireland 1807–1822 |
Succeeded by William Plunket |