Robert Lynn
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert John Lynn was an Ulster Unionist Party
politician.
He was elected at the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Belfast Woodvale
from 1918 general election
to 1922
, and when that constituency was abolished for the 1922 general election
he was returned for Belfast West
, holding the seat until he stood down at the 1929 general election
.
At the 1921 Northern Irish general election Lynn was elected as a member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
for Belfast West
, holding that seat until it was abolished for the 1929 Northern Irish general election
. He was elected for the new North Antrim constituency, and held that seat until 1945. From 1937 to 1944 he was Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
.
He was the editor of the Northern Whig Newspaper.
Lynn was a leading contributor to educational debates in Northern Ireland. A longtime opponent of Catholic educational interests, Lynn at first attacked the 1923 education bill for stripping Protestant schools of their denominational character. However, Lord Londonderry, the Education Minister, persuaded Lynn to support the measure making the latter one of the few public proponents of what amounted to nondenominational schooling.
In 1902, the Education Act
had been withheld from Ireland at the insistence of Roman Catholic bishops, the result of which was that education reform in Northern Ireland lagged behind that of the rest of the country by 1920. Lynn was asked by the Northern Irish government to look into reforms in education in 1921 and he set up what became known as the Lynn Committee. However, Roman Catholics refused to serve on or cooperate with the Committee. Much guidance was therefore rerquired of Roman Catholic Unionist, A. N. Bonaparte Wyse
(who later became Permanent Secretary
to the Ministry of Education in Northern Ireland).
While Roman Catholic representatives boycotted the Committee, Lynn recommended government funding for a separate Roman Catholic education system in Northern Ireland. When the Lynn Committee published its report in 1923, its recommendations were adopted and made law by the Education Bill (NI) of 1923.
On the difficulties of their dealings with the Roman Catholic hierarchy, the Lynn Committee said this in their report:
The Bill was bitterly assailed by both Catholic and Protestant clerics and was subsequently amended so that its original intent disappeared.
Lynn was knight
ed in March 1924.
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
politician.
He was elected at the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Belfast Woodvale
Belfast Woodvale (UK Parliament constituency)
Woodvale, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:...
from 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
to 1922
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, and when that constituency was abolished for the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
he was returned for Belfast West
Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)
Belfast West is a parliamentary constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:The seat was restored in 1922 when as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut...
, holding the seat until he stood down at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
.
At the 1921 Northern Irish general election Lynn was elected as a member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
Parliament of Northern Ireland
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...
for Belfast West
Belfast West (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Belfast West was a borough constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 - 1929. It returned four MPs, using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
, holding that seat until it was abolished for the 1929 Northern Irish general election
Northern Ireland general election, 1929
-References:*...
. He was elected for the new North Antrim constituency, and held that seat until 1945. From 1937 to 1944 he was Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
Speaker of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
The Speaker of the Northern Ireland House of Commons was the presiding officer of the lower house of Parliament in Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1972.The Speaker had an official residence, Stormont House...
.
He was the editor of the Northern Whig Newspaper.
Lynn was a leading contributor to educational debates in Northern Ireland. A longtime opponent of Catholic educational interests, Lynn at first attacked the 1923 education bill for stripping Protestant schools of their denominational character. However, Lord Londonderry, the Education Minister, persuaded Lynn to support the measure making the latter one of the few public proponents of what amounted to nondenominational schooling.
In 1902, the Education Act
Education Act 1902
The Education Act 1902 , also known as Balfour's Act, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting education in England and Wales. At the time of passage of the Act, the Conservative Party was in power...
had been withheld from Ireland at the insistence of Roman Catholic bishops, the result of which was that education reform in Northern Ireland lagged behind that of the rest of the country by 1920. Lynn was asked by the Northern Irish government to look into reforms in education in 1921 and he set up what became known as the Lynn Committee. However, Roman Catholics refused to serve on or cooperate with the Committee. Much guidance was therefore rerquired of Roman Catholic Unionist, A. N. Bonaparte Wyse
Andrew Nicholas Bonaparte-Wyse
Andrew Reginald Nicholas Gerald Bonaparte-Wyse was an Irish civil servant, for many years the only Catholic in the Northern Ireland administration to rise to the rank of Permanent Secretary....
(who later became Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
to the Ministry of Education in Northern Ireland).
While Roman Catholic representatives boycotted the Committee, Lynn recommended government funding for a separate Roman Catholic education system in Northern Ireland. When the Lynn Committee published its report in 1923, its recommendations were adopted and made law by the Education Bill (NI) of 1923.
On the difficulties of their dealings with the Roman Catholic hierarchy, the Lynn Committee said this in their report:
The Bill was bitterly assailed by both Catholic and Protestant clerics and was subsequently amended so that its original intent disappeared.
Lynn was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in March 1924.