Thomas Edward McConnell was a unionist politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

.

McConnell studied at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution

Royal Belfast Academical Institution

The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, is a Grammar School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Locally referred to as Inst, the school educates boys from ages 11–18...

 before becoming the managing director of a horse and cattle sales firm. He was elected to the Belfast Corporation as a councillor and then an alderman, for the Ulster Unionist Party

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...

. He was also successful at the Belfast Duncairn by-election, 1922, and when his seat was abolished later in the year, he won Belfast North

Belfast North (UK Parliament constituency)

Belfast North is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created 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...

, for which he sat until 1929.