Father of the House

"Tay Pay" O'Connor (T. P. O'Connor), Father of the House of Commons, was entertained to luncheon by party leaders on the occasion of his 75th birthday. The Speaker, on behalf of the members of Parliament, presented him with an old French gold snuff box filled with snuff and the original of the caricature of himself by " Spy."

Thomas Power O'Connor is an Irishman, was born on Oct. 5, 1848, and was educated at the College of the Immaculate Conception, Athlone, and at Queen's College, Galway, where he took the degree of M. A. with the highest honors. After leaving college he took to newspaper work and has stuck to it ever since. He started work on Sounders' Newsletter in Dublin, migrated to London and worked on The Telegraph. For a time he was connected with the London branch of The New York Herald. On his own account he founded and was the first editor of The Star, The Sun, The Weekly Sun, M. A. P. and T. P.'s Weekly. He is considered to be one of the most prolific writers of modern times. He is also official film censor for Great Britain.

His political career started in 1880 when he was elected a member for Galway as a, Nationalist. In 1885 he was elected a member for both Galway and the Scotland Division of Liverpool. He chose the latter seat and has represented it in Parliament ever since--38 years.

He is not an Anglophobe, as were most of the Irish Nationalists. He has always advocated a closer understanding between the Emerald Isle and Great Britain, and has done much to foster that spirit in his 43 years in the House.

He is one of the few members--the last surviving Irish Nationalist--who wear their hats in the House and use the snuff provided by the sergeant-at-arms.

Mr. Asquith, proposing O'Connor's health, said that when he joined the House in 1886 " Tay Pay" was already " a firmly rooted institution."