Healy, Timothy Michael (1855–1931)

Irish lawyer, politician, and first governor-general of the Irish Free State. Healy supported Irish nationalist Charles Parnell until the split in the Irish Nationalist party occasioned by the O'Shea divorce case in 1890. Later he was in favour of reunion under the leadership of John Redmond, but in 1900 he was expelled from the party for his opposition to the United Irish League. He was re-admitted in 1908, but was again expelled in 1910, in which year he formed, with William O'Brien, the Independent Nationalist party. Healy retired from politics in 1918. In 1922 he became the first governor-general of the Irish Free State, a post he held for five years.

Healy was born in Bantry, Ireland. He was called to the Irish Bar in 1884, and became a Queen's Counsel in 1899. In 1903 he was called to the English Bar, and he was a Bencher of Gray's Inn and of King's Inn, Dublin. He was elected MP for Wexford in 1880, for Monaghan in 1833, for South Londonderry in 1885, for North Longford in 1887, for North Louth in 1892, and North East Cork in 1910, a seat he retained until 1918.