that the loyalists of Ulster be represented by eloquent and able men". Atkinson was elected a Conservative M.P. for North Londonderry in 1895; upon his election, he was again appointed Attorney-General, an office he held for the next ten years. During this time, he was closely involved in the framing of many significant pieces of legislation, including the Irish Land Act, 1896, and the Local Government Act, 1898. Appointed as a law lord On 19 December 1905, he was appointed to the House of Lords as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary and life peer under the title Baron Atkinson, of Glenwilliam in the County of Limerick, the first Irish barrister to be appointed as a Law Lord directly from his practice at the bar – Judges John Fitzgerald and Michael Morris had served on the Irish Bench for many years before their respective appointments. For the title of his life peerage, he chose Glenwilliam, after Glenwilliam Castle in County Limerick, the home of his father. Atkinson's appointment, however, was not met with universal approval by his profession. As a former member of the cabinet he was seen as a political judge, however his industry and keen sense of justice came to be seen as a valuable addition to the bench. On his appointment as a Law Lord, he withdrew from active politics, limiting his contributions on political matters in the House of Lords to the discussion of Irish matters, such as the Irish Land Bill in 1909, to which he tabled several amendments. Atkinson retired as a judge in 1928, and died at his home at 39 Hyde Park Gate, London on 13 March 1932. A portrait by John St Helier Lander hangs in the Bar Room of King's Inns, Dublin. Arms References Sources T.C. Tobias, 'Atkinson, John, Baron Atkinson (1844–1932)', rev. Sinéad Agnew, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. Obituary, The Times, 14 March 1932. see also reply by Arthur Balfor on 15 March 1932. External links 1844 births 1932 deaths Alumni of the University of Galway Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Law lords Solicitors-General for Ireland Attorneys-General for Ireland People from Drogheda Politicians from County Louth Irish Unionist Party MPs Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Londonderry constituencies (1801–1922) People educated at the Belfast Royal Academy UK MPs 1895–1900