Daniel O’Connell

Irish lawyer Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847) witnessed, but did not support, the Irish Revolution of 1798. He believed change needed to come from non-violent political negotiation, not war. His staunch advocacy for Catholic rights contributed to the passage of the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829, which allowed Irish Catholics like himself to serve in the United Kingdom’s Parliament. That earned him the nickname “The Liberator.”