{{short description|Irish politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}} {{Infobox officeholder | birth_date = {{Birth date text|1868}} | death_date = {{Death date and age|1905|05|18|1868|df=y}} | office = Member of Parliament for North Donegal | term_start = 1900 | term_end = 18 May 1905 | party = Irish Parliamentary Party | successor = John Muldoon | predecessor = Thomas Bartholomew Curran | term_start1 = 1896 | term_end1 = 18 May 1905 | spouse = {{marriage|Margaret Mitchell|1894}} | occupation = Politician, solicitor, coroner | constituency1 = West Ward | successor1 = | office1 = Member of Londonderry Corporation | birth_place = Carndonagh, County Donegal, Ireland | death_place = London, England }}
'''William O'Doherty''' (1868 – 18 May 1905)<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=19 May 1905 |title=Death of Mr. William O'Doherty, M.P. |url=https://www-britishnewspaperarchive-co-uk/viewer/bl/0005986/19050519/054/0005 |url-access=subscription |access-date=9 January 2026 |work=Londonderry Standard |page=5 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref> was an Irish nationalist politician and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
== Biography == O'Doherty was born in 1868 in Carndonagh, County Donegal.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=19 May 1905 |title=Death of an Irish member |url=https://www-britishnewspaperarchive-co-uk/viewer/bl/0000325/19050519/010/0003 |url-access=subscription |access-date=9 January 2026 |work=Gloucester Citizen |pages=3 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref> He attended St Columb's College in Derry. In 1893 he became a solicitor, and a year later became the coroner for Inishowen (North Donegal).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In 1896 he was elected to the West Ward constituency on Londonderry Corporation.<ref name=":1" /> He was elected as the Irish Parliamentary Party MP for North Donegal constituency at the 1900 general election.<ref name=":0" /> In 1902 O'Doherty was criticised by the United Irish League for attending the coronation of King Edward VII and called on him to resign. He responded to the criticism but stating the separation policy of the party was impractical.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 October 1902 |title=The Executive Committee of the United Irish League for North Donegal has called on Mr William O'Doherty, member of Parliament for the division, to resign his seat |url=https://www-britishnewspaperarchive-co-uk/viewer/bl/0000164/19021002/078/0005 |url-access=subscription |access-date=9 January 2026 |work=Dundee Courier |pages=5 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2 October 1902 |title=Mr. William O'Doherty and the Irish Parliamentary Party called on to resign - letter of refusal |url=https://www-britishnewspaperarchive-co-uk/viewer/bl/0001480/19021002/082/0008 |url-access=subscription |access-date=9 January 2026 |work=Londonderry Sentinel |page=8 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref>
On 18 May 1905, while in the House of Commons, O'Doherty suffered a paralytic stroke and later succumbed to a haemorrhage.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=19 May 1905 |title=Irish M.P. dies suddenly.; William O'Doherty Stricken While Writing in the Commons. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1905/05/19/archives/irish-mp-dies-suddenly-william-odoherty-stricken-while-writing-in.html |access-date=9 January 2026 |work=The New York Times |page=4}}</ref> The subsequent by-election for his vacant seat was won by John Muldoon.
== Personal life == In 1894 he married Margaret Mitchell.<ref name=":1" />
==External links== *{{Hansard-contribs|mr-william-odoherty|William O'Doherty}}
== References == <references /> {{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{s-bef|before = Thomas Bartholomew Curran}} {{s-ttl|title = Member of Parliament for {{nowrap|North Donegal}} |years = 1900 – 1905}} {{s-aft|after = John Muldoon}} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Odoherty, William}} Category:1868 births Category:1905 deaths Category:Irish Parliamentary Party MPs Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Donegal constituencies (1801–1922) Category:UK MPs 1900–1906 Category:People from County Donegal
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