O'BRIEN, WILLIAM (1852-1928), Irish patriot, was born at Mallow, Co. Cork, on Oct. 2, 1852, son of James O'Brien, a solicitor's clerk. He was educated at the Cloyne diocesan college and at Queen's college, Cork, and began journalism in 1869 on the Cork Daily Herald. In 1875 he joined the staff of the Free man's Journal. In 188o he founded his own paper, United Ireland, conducted with amazing vigour. Forster, on reading the first number, is said to have exclaimed, "Who is this new madman?" O'Brien's paper was suppressed for the time being, and he was shut up in Kilmainham gaol, with Parnell and others. There O'Brien drew up the famous "No Rent" manifesto, which was smuggled out of Kilmainham, read at a Land League meeting in Dublin, and led to the proclamation of the league as an illegal association.
After Forster's recall from Ireland, O'Brien resumed his cam paign in United Ireland. In 1887, under the Balfour regime in Ireland, O'Brien started the slogan of "no reduction, no rent." For this "plan of campaign" see IRELAND : History. Parnell was much out of Ireland, and though he eventually disavowed the "plan," O'Brien had stirred up a fierce agitation, met by the British Government with the Coercion Act of 1887. Under this
act O'Brien was sent to Tullamore gaol. He had been elected M.P. for Mallow in 1883, and on his release he appeared in the House of Commons to renew his obstructive tactics there.
After the Parnell divorce case he tried to mediate between the Parnellites and the anti-Parnellites. He advised the retirement of Parnell until the storm should have blown over. Finally in 1900 he reunited the party. In 1903 O'Brien, who had begun his career as a land agitator, thought that the Wyndham Land Act of 1903 offered a bridge between the Nationalists and the southern Unionists. He wanted an "act for Ireland" party which should include men of all creeds and of various opinions. He split the Irish Party, and in the general election of 1918 his followers retired, leaving a clear fight at the polls between the Nationalists and the Sinn Feiners. Thus the man who had sought conciliation with southern Unionists in 1903 was fated, though he had no faith in Sinn Fein methods, to secure the Sinn Fein victory.
O'Brien married a French woman, Sophie Raffalovich, the daughter of a Paris banker. He died on Feb. 26, 1928.