Thomas Dowdall

Thomas Patrick Dowdall (1872 – 7 April 1942) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and company director.

Early life He was born at Chatham Barracks, Gillingham, Kent, the son of Charles Dowdall, colour sergeant in the 48th foot, and Margaret Dowdall (née Cassidy) of Bandon, County Cork. He and his brother James were educated at the Presentation College, Grand Parade, Cork; together they then visited Denmark, where they studied butter manufacture. Returning to Cork, fluent in Danish and Swedish, the two joined Dowdall Bros, the creamery business of their uncle J. B. Dowdall, which had extensive business contacts in the Baltic countries. Between 1886 and 1888, J. B. Dowdall was instrumental in building or enlarging thirteen creameries and amalgamating them into a consortium known as Anglo-Irish Creameries. He was re-elected at the 1933, 1937 and 1938 general elections. Dowdall rarely spoke in the Dáil, but he was a strong advocate of re-afforestation, and outside the chamber he was a co-founder of the Forestry Society and contributed towards the publication of John Mackay's The rape of Ireland (1940). He was also in favour of protectionism and the establishment of a merchant navy.

His brother James Charles Dowdall, was a Fianna Fáil senator from 1922 to 1936. Unmarried, Thomas Dowdall lived at 4 Alexandra Terrace, St Luke's, Cork. He died 7 April 1942 in Cork, during the 10th Dáil, no by-election was held for his seat.