Ernest Henry Alton was an Irish academic and politician who served as the 38th Provost of Trinity College Dublin from 1942 to 1952.
13 Facts About Ernest Alton
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Ernest Alton served as a Teachta Dala from 1921 to 1937 and a Senator from 1938 to 1943, representing the Dublin University constituency respectively in each house.
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Ernest Alton graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1896 with honours in classics and philosophy, having been elected a Scholar of the college in 1894.
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Ernest Alton won the Berkeley medal and the Wray prize and was awarded a studentship on his final results.
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Ernest Alton was a member of Trinity College's Officer Training Corps and saw action during the 1916 Easter Rising.
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Ernest Alton was elected to the Royal Irish Academy in 1912, and served as its vice-president from 1942 to 1944, and from 1946 to 1947.
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Ernest Alton was elected to the House of Commons of Southern Ireland at the 1921 elections, representing the Dublin University constituency as an Independent Unionist, he did not participate in the Second Dail.
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Ernest Alton was re-elected for the same constituency at the 1922 general election and became a member of the Third Dail.
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Ernest Alton was re-elected at the next five general elections until the Dublin University Dail Eireann constituency was abolished in 1937.
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Ernest Alton served as a member of the 2nd Seanad and the 3rd Seanad representing the Seanad Eireann Dublin University constituency until 1943 when he retired from politics.
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Ernest Alton was a professor of Latin at Trinity College Dublin from 1921 to 1942 and was Provost from 1942 until he died in 1952.
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Ernest Alton married Ethel Hughes-Hunter in 1915, and they had 2 sons and a daughter.
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Ernest Alton's nephew Bryan Alton was a member of Seanad Eireann from 1965 to 1973.