Editing W. T. Cosgrave (section)

==Early and private life==
William Thomas Cosgrave was born at 174 James's Street, [[Dublin]] in 1880, to Thomas Cosgrave, grocer, and Bridget (Nixon) Cosgrave.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1880/02863/2049143.pdf|title=General Register Office|website=IrishGenealogy.ie|access-date=5 October 2017}}</ref> He was educated at the [[Congregation of Christian Brothers|Christian Brothers]] School at Malahide Road, [[Marino, Dublin|Marino]], before entering his father's publican business.<ref name=dib>{{cite web|url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/cosgrave-william-thomas-a2077|title=Cosgrave, William Thomas|work=[[Dictionary of Irish Biography]]|last=O'Halpin|first=Eunan|access-date=6 January 2022}}</ref> Cosgrave first became politically active when he attended the first [[Sinn Féin]] convention in 1905.

He was a Sinn Féin councillor on [[Dublin Corporation]] from 1909 until 1922 and joined the [[Irish Volunteers]] in 1913, although he never joined the [[Irish Republican Brotherhood]] because he didn't believe in secret societies.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/liam-cosgrave-launches-biography-of-his-father-1.1971934|title=Liam Cosgrave launches biography of his father|date=22 October 2014|access-date=26 September 2019|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|archive-date=16 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116042904/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/liam-cosgrave-launches-biography-of-his-father-1.1971934|url-status=live}}</ref>

He played an active role in the [[Easter Rising]] of 1916, serving under [[Éamonn Ceannt]] as a [[Captain]] at the South Dublin Union. Following the rebellion, Cosgrave was sentenced to death, but that was later commuted to [[penal servitude]] for life and he was interned at [[Frongoch internment camp]], [[Wales]]. While imprisoned, he won a seat for Sinn Féin in the [[Kilkenny City (UK Parliament constituency)|Kilkenny City]] by-election of August 1917. After his victory, he made a speech on the courthouse balcony.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.militaryarchives.ie/collections/online-collections/bureau-of-military-history-1913-1921/|title=Bureau of Military History –}}</ref> In September 1917, he and [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Michael Collins]] addressed a crowd in [[Dunboyne]], [[County Meath]], urging people to join the Irish Volunteers.

Cosgrave again won an Irish seat at the [[1918 Irish general election|1918 general election]], this time for [[North Kilkenny (UK Parliament constituency)|Kilkenny North]].<ref name=elecs_irl>{{cite web |url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=1106 |title=William Thomas Cosgrave |work=ElectionsIreland.org |access-date=1 June 2009 |archive-date=30 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130163616/http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=1106 |url-status=live }}</ref> Although he and many other Sinn Féin MPs were still in prison at the time,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1919-01-21/4/ |title=Dáil Éireann debate – Tuesday, 21 January 1919:3. An Rolla |language=Irish |trans-title=The Roll Call |website=[[Oireachtas]] |date=21 January 1919 |access-date=26 September 2019 |archive-date=6 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906094642/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1919-01-21/4/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 27 free Sinn Féin MPs, in accordance with [[Sinn Féin Manifesto 1918|their party's manifesto]], refused to go to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Westminster]] and instead formed the [[First Dáil]], in which Cosgrave took his seat after he was released from prison in 1919.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1919-04-01/5/ |title=Dáil Éireann debate – Tuesday, 1 April 1919: Election of Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Clerks – Roll Call |access-date=26 September 2019 |website=Houses of the Oireachtas |date=April 1919 |archive-date=26 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926182528/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1919-04-01/5/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On 24 June 1919, he married Louisa Flanagan (28 August 1882 – 1959) in Dublin, daughter of Alderman [[Michael Flanagan (councillor)|Michael Flanagan]], a nationalist councillor on Dublin Corporation between 1884 and 1919. During his later years, Cosgrave was cared for by his son and daughter-in-law, Liam and Vera.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/liam-cosgrave-launches-biography-of-his-father-1.1971934|title=Liam Cosgrave launches biography of his father|first=Peter|last=Murtagh|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=20 February 2020|archive-date=16 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116042904/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/liam-cosgrave-launches-biography-of-his-father-1.1971934|url-status=live}}</ref>