William James Conolly (died 2 January 1754) was an Irish landowner and Whig politician who sat in the Irish House of Commons from 1727 to 1754 and in the British House of Commons from 1734 to 1754.
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Early life
Conolly was a nephew of William Conolly, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons from 1715 to 1729, and was the son of Patrick Conolly, originally of County Donegal, younger brother of William. William and Patrick had fled to England from Ireland in 1688, but while William had returned, Patrick remained and married Frances Hewett, one of the children of Neale Hewett and Mary Halford of Dunton Bassett, Leicestershire. There were two children, William and his sister, and they grew up at Dunton Bassett until 1713 when their father died, having recently buried their mother.
Career
William became cursitor in the Court of Chancery (Ireland) in 1721. He was elected to the Irish House of Commons for Ballyshannon at a by-election in 1727, after his uncle who had been elected in the 1727 Irish general election earlier in the year decided to continue sitting for County Londonderry instead. In 1729, he succeeded to Castletown, the estate of his uncle, who was said to be the richest man in Ireland. He was appointed to the Irish Privy Council on 3 February 1730.
At the 1734 British general election Conolly was returned as Member of Parliament for Aldeburgh in the interest of his father-in-law Lord Strafford. Although Strafford was a Tory, Conolly considered himself "an incorrigible Whig". He voted consistently with the Government and was returned for Aldeburgh in 1741. He was classed as Old Whig in 1746. At the 1747 British general election he changed seats and was returned as MP for Petersfield instead.
