Ernest Henry Alton (1873 – 18 February 1952) was an Irish university professor and an independent Teachta Dála (TD) and Senator.
Born in County Westmeath, Alton attended The High School, Dublin. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in 1896 with honours in classics and philosophy. He was elected to the House of Commons of Southern Ireland at the 1921 elections, representing the University of Dublin constituency as an independent Unionist, he did not participate in the Second Dáil. He was re-elected for the same constituency at the 1922 general election and became a member of the Third Dáil. He was re-elected at the next five general elections until the University of Dublin Dáil Éireann constituency was abolished in 1937. He served as a member of the 2nd Seanad and the 3rd Seanad representing the Seanad Éireann Dublin University constituency until 1943 when he retired from politics.
He was professor of Latin at Trinity College, Dublin from 1921 to 1942, and was provost from 1942 until his death in 1952.
His sisters were teachers of music at Wesley College Dublin. One taught violin, the other taught piano. His nephew Bryan Alton was a member of Seanad Éireann from 1965–73.
Famous quotes containing the word ernest:
“Put shortly, these are the two views, then. One, that man is intrinsically good, spoilt by circumstance; and the other that he is intrinsically limited, but disciplined by order and tradition to something fairly decent. To the one party man’s nature is like a well, to the other like a bucket. The view which regards him like a well, a reservoir full of possibilities, I call the romantic; the one which regards him as a very finite and fixed creature, I call the classical.”
—Thomas Ernest Hulme (1883–1917)