John FitzGibbon, 1st Earl of Clare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_FitzGibbon,_1st_Earl_of_Clare

John FitzGibbon, 1st Earl of Clare PC (Ire) (c. 1749 – 28 January 1802), later known as Earl of Clare or Lord Clare, was Attorney-General for Ireland in 1783, then Lord Chancellor of Ireland in 1789, in which capacity he was first promoted to the Irish peerage.

He was a controversial figure in Irish history, being described variously as a Protestant hardliner, a staunch anti-Catholic, and an early supporter of Union with England (which finally happened shortly before his death). He is said to have been an early opponent of measures for Catholic political relief (meaning the removal of some or all legal disabilities against Catholics) in both Ireland and Great Britain, and may have been the first to suggest to George III that the King would violate his coronation oath if he consented to the admission of Catholics to Parliament.