John Bennett (Irish politician)
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John Bennett (c. 1720 – 1792) was an Irish politician, barrister and judge. His granddaughter married the celebrated writer Sheridan le Fanu.
He was born in Cork, the son of George Bennett. William Henn of Paradise Hill, County Clare, a future colleague on the Bench, was his cousin.[1] He was educated at Trinity College Dublin and at the Middle Temple. He was called to the Irish Bar in 1758. He entered politics but was not at first successful in his political career: although he was elected to the Irish House of Commons for Dungarvan in 1776, he was promptly unseated. In 1783 he stood for Parliament again both Castlemartyr and Charleville; he was successful in both contests and took his seat as member for Castelmartyr.
Judge
His first judicial office was Recorder of Cork, although the precise dates between which he held this office are uncertain; most probably he was Recorder from 1783 to 1787. In the latter year, he was appointed a justice of the Court of King's Bench (Ireland) and held that office till his death in 1792.[1]
Elrington Ball states that Bennett was a man noted for his independence of mind: as such he was bound to clash with the formidable Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, John Scott, 1st Earl of Clonmell.[1] Scott was determined to dominate the Court of King's Bench. From the beginning of his tenure as Chief Justice, he regarded Bennett, who was not a man inclined to take a subservient role, as his enemy: "one adverse to me",[1] and apparently tried to block his appointment to the Bench.[2] Scott regarded another colleague, William Henn, Bennett's cousin, as "at best a fool".[1] Only after Bennett's death and Henn's retirement was Scott able to remould his Court as he wished.[1]
