time however, his inflexible opinions and unpopularity made him a political liability. The publication of a letter he wrote to John Toler, the Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, urging him to use his influence with Protestant juries to secure the conviction of Catholics in political cases, irrespective of whether they were innocent or guilty, did great damage to both of their reputations. In due course, the decision was taken to remove him from office as Attorney General, but to compensate him by appointment to the Bench. In 1822 the new Lord Lieutenant, Lord Wellesley, offered him the vacant position of Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench for Ireland; when Saurin, who had never shown any interest in going on the Bench, refused, he was dismissed from the Attorney General's Office outright, a decision which seems to have come as an utterly unexpected blow to Saurin. Saurin's anti-Catholic bias is also said to have offended Wellesley's second wife, Marianne, who was a Catholic. Daniel O'Connell exulted in "the downfall of our mortal foe". Wellesley, who was accused of treating Saurin harshly, said that short of offering him the Lord Lieutenancy itself, he did not see what more he could have done. Saurin retained some indirect political influence until the enactment of Catholic Emancipation in 1829 finally ended his political career. Despite his increasing age he returned to private practice for some years, and became "Father of the Bar" (that is, its longest serving member). In that capacity, he gave the farewell address to the departing Lord Chancellor, Sir Anthony Hart, in 1830. Personal life Saurin married Mary O'Brien, daughter of Edward Dominic O'Brien and Mary Carrick. She was the sister of William O'Brien, 2nd Marquess of Thomond, and James O'Brien, 3rd Marquess of Thomond, and the widow of Sir Richard Eyre Cox, 4th Baronet (died 1783). She and William had four sons, including Edward, James and Mark, and one daughter. Their eldest son, Edward (died 1878), became an Admiral and married Lady Mary Ryder (died 1900), daughter of the prominent statesman Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby and his wife Susanna Leveson Gower. The celebrated Australian actor William Saurin Lyster was William's nephew. Saurin died at his home at St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, in January 1839; his widow died the following year. He also owned Carysfort House, Stillorgan, and held substantial lands in County Tipperary. Character and appearance