Charles Francis Sheridan

Charles Francis Sheridan (June 1750 – 24 June 1806) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer, politician and writer.

Biography Sheridan was born at 12 Dorset Street, Dublin, the elder son of the actor Thomas Sheridan and Frances Sheridan (née Chamberlaine). In 1779 he published a pamphlet entitled Observations, which related to the right for Ireland to create its own laws. In 1782, Richard secured his brother a position in the Dublin Castle administration as Under-Secretary for Ireland for the military department in support of the Second Rockingham ministry. In 1783 he was elected to represent Rathcormack. Sheridan became associated with the Whig faction, but refused to resign his office when the Whigs lost power, and was accused by his brother of a lack of principle. He was removed from office on 8 August 1789 following the regency crisis, at which point he was granted an annual pension of £1000 by George III.

Sheridan left the Irish Commons in 1790. Disillusioned, he retired from politics and dedicated his final years to futile chemical and mechanical experiments. He often visited London to circulate papers proclaiming new scientific discoveries, but he was not taken seriously in the city's academic circles. In 1793 Sheridan published two pamphlets: the first an essay defending Ireland's rights as an independent kingdom and the second a statement of support for Catholic relief and Edmund Burke.

Sheridan's health failed rapidly and he died on 24 June 1806 at Tunbridge Wells.

In 1783, Sheridan married Letitia Christiana Bolton; they had several children together.