# David Harrel

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**Sir David Harrel** (25 March 1841 – 12 May 1939) was an [Irish](/source/Ireland) [police](/source/Police) officer and [civil servant](/source/Civil_servant).

Harrel was born in Mount Pleasant, [County Down](/source/County_Down), the son of a land agent. He was educated at the [Royal Naval School, Gosport](/source/Royal_Naval_School,_Gosport), but was too old to join the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) as a [Midshipman](/source/Midshipman) when he took the exam and instead joined the [Merchant Navy](/source/British_Merchant_Navy). In 1859, he left to join the [Royal Irish Constabulary](/source/Royal_Irish_Constabulary). In 1879 he became a [resident magistrate](/source/Resident_magistrate) in [County Mayo](/source/County_Mayo) and in 1883 was appointed [Chief Commissioner](/source/Police_commissioner) of the [Dublin Metropolitan Police](/source/Dublin_Metropolitan_Police). Although himself a [Protestant](/source/Protestant), he had good relations with the [Roman Catholic Church](/source/Roman_Catholic_Church) and was a member of several bodies which worked to relieve the poverty of the Irish peasantry.

In 1893, Harrel was appointed [Under-Secretary for Ireland](/source/Under-Secretary_for_Ireland), a post he held until 1902, when he retired due to ill-health. He continued to sit on many tribunals and voluntary bodies.

Harrel was appointed [Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath](/source/Order_of_the_Bath) (KCB) in 1895, [Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order](/source/Royal_Victorian_Order) (KCVO) in 1900, and [Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire](/source/Order_of_the_British_Empire) (GBE). He was appointed to the [Privy Council of Ireland](/source/Privy_Council_of_Ireland), entitling him to the style "The Right Honourable". In the 1920 New Year Honours, he was appointed [Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath](/source/Knight_Grand_Cross_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath) (GCB), having served as chairman of the Interim Court of Arbitration on industrial questions from 1918 to 1919.[2]

Harrel's son, [William Vesey Harrel](/source/William_Vesey_Harrel), served as Assistant Commissioner of the Dublin Metropolitan Police from 1902 to 1914.

## Arms

## Footnotes

1. ["Grants and Confirmations of Arms Vol. K"](https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000511733). National Library of Ireland. p. 61. Retrieved 24 June 2022.

1. No. 31712. 30 December 1919. p. 3.

## References

- Biography, *[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography](/source/Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography)*
- Obituary, *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*, 13 May 1939

## External links

- "Harrel, Right Hon. Sir David". p. 104.

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