John Gray

Sir John Gray JP (13 July 1815 – 9 April 1875 ), sometimes spelt John Grey, was an Irish physician, surgeon, newspaper proprietor, journalist and politician. Gray was active both in municipal and national government for much of his life, and had nationalist ideals – which he expressed as owner of the Freeman's Journal, chairman of the Dublin Corporation Water Works Committee between 1863 and 1875, and Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for Kilkenny city from 1865 until his death. He was a supporter of Daniel O'Connell, and later of Charles Stewart Parnell, and advocated a repeal of the Act of Union. Through his offices with Dublin Corporation, the Vartry Reservoir water supply works were completed, introducing a freshwater supply to Dublin city and suburbs. He died at Bath in England on 9 April 1875. Shortly after his death, his contributions to the provision of the water supply, and the beneficial impact this had to conditions of public health in Dublin, were recognised in a memorial statue on O'Connell Street.

Early life

John Gray was born in Claremorris, County Mayo; the third son of John and Elizabeth Gray of Mount Street. He was educated at Trinity College Dublin, Shortly before his marriage in the same year, he settled in Dublin and took up a post at a hospital in North Cumberland Street. He was admitted as a licentiate of the College of Physicians in due course.

Gray was publicly minded, and contributed to periodicals and the newspaper press. In 1841 he became joint proprietor of the Freeman's Journal – a nationalist paper which was then published daily and weekly. He acted as political editor of the Journal for a time, before becoming sole proprietor in 1850. As owner, Gray increased the newspaper's size, reduced its price and extended its circulation. on Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street). Independent from O'Connell, Gray continued to take a prominent part in Irish politics and in local affairs. the building of a series of water piping and filtering systems (and related public works) to carry fresh water to the city. This work was particularly important in the improvement of conditions in the city, and to public health,

In the 1865 general election, Gray was elected MP for Kilkenny city as a Liberal candidate. In this capacity he campaigned successfully at Westminster and in Ireland for the reforms also advocated in his paper; his newspaper's inquiry into the anomalous wealth of the established church amidst a predominately Catholic population contributed considerably to Gladstone's Irish Church Act 1869.