James Leahy (1822–1896) was an Irish nationalist politician who took his seat in the United Kingdom House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for constituencies in County Kildare from 1880 to 1892.
He was the son of Daniel Leahy, a farmer of Templemore, Co. Tipperary. He was educated privately and was himself a tenant farmer. In 1850 he married Julia, daughter of John Mulhall, of Boyle, Co. Roscommon.The Times, 27 November 1885
Leahy was first elected at the 1880 general election, as a Parnellite Home Rule League candidate for the Kildare constituency, In the vital vote of 17 May 1880 in which Parnell displaced William Shaw as chairman of the Parliamentary Party, Leahy voted for Parnell. When the Kildare constituency was divided at the 1885 general election, he was returned unopposed for the South Kildare constituency.Walker, op. cit., page 133 He was again elected unopposed in 1886,Walker, op. cit., page 139 and sided with Parnell when the IPP split in 1891. However, at the 1892 general election he lost the seat by a wide margin to the Anti-Parnellite Irish National Federation candidate, Matthew Minch.Walker, op. cit., page 147 He did not stand for parliament again, but appears to have remained an active Parnellite. He was present at the nomination of James Laurence Carew as Parnellite candidate for Dublin College Green on 6 April 1896.Irish Times, 11 April 1896
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