Garret FitzGerald

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Garret FitzGerald (2009)

Garret Michael FitzGerald ( Irish Gearóid Mícheál Mac Gearailt ; born February 9, 1926 in Dublin , †  May 19, 2011 ibid) was an Irish politician and two-time Prime Minister ( Taoiseach ).

Studies and professional activities

Garret FitzGerald came from a political family and was the son of the former minister, Sinn Féin activist and longtime MP Desmond FitzGerald . He holds a degree in economics from University College Dublin (UCD). He completed this in 1946 with the academic degree of a Bachelor of Arts .

After completing his studies, he worked for the Aer Lingus airline in 1947 . There he became a recognized expert in strategic airlift planning and also wrote several specialist articles for The Irish Times . In addition, since 1950 he was Ireland correspondent for the BBC , the weekly newspaper The Economist and the Financial Times .

In 1959 he returned to the UCD and became a lecturer in economics.

Since 1997, FitzGerald has been Registrar of Ireland's largest university, the National University of Ireland , which includes four universities and five colleges . On September 22, 2005 he was also elected President of the Institute of European Affairs .

Political career

Senator and MP

FitzGerald's political career began in 1965 with his appointment as a member of the House of Lords ( Seanad Éireann ) of the Irish Parliament ( Oireachtas ) as a representative of business and trade. In 1969, he was first a deputy of the lower house ( Dáil Éireann selected) and represented there until 1992, the interests of the Christian Democrat - liberal - conservative dominated Fine Gael in the constituency Dublin - South - East.

Foreign Minister 1973 to 1977

After the election victory of Fine Gael in 1973, Prime Minister Liam Cosgrave appointed him Foreign Minister of Ireland on March 14, 1973 . During his tenure until July 5, 1977, he improved the reputation of Ireland, which joined the European Communities in 1973 , and was one of the main contributors to the Lomé Convention of February 28, 1975, which regulated the EC's relations with the ACP countries . At the height of his tenure as Foreign Minister, he was the first Irish President of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 1975 . During this tenure he was also the initiator of several decisions to strengthen the mechanisms of the European Communities.

Opposition leader and prime minister

Power struggle with the Fianna Fáil 1981–1982

After the defeat in the parliamentary elections of 1977 against the long-time ruling party Fianna Fáil , FitzGerald succeeded Cosgrave as chairman of Fine Gael and thus leader of the opposition. In the next four years there was an extensive and fundamental renewal of the party.

Fine Gael emerged victorious from the 1981 parliamentary elections, so that on June 30, 1981, FitzGerald became Prime Minister for the first time as the successor to his college friend Charles J. Haughey (Fianna Fáil) with the FitzGerald 1 government . Haughey, however, replaced him on March 9, 1982 after another parliamentary election after FitzGerald did not approve his budget and asked President Patrick Hillery to dissolve parliament.

Prime Minister 1982–1987

In the third parliamentary election within 18 months at the end of 1982, Fine Gael again emerged victorious. On December 14, 1982, FitzGerald succeeded Haughey as Prime Minister for the second time and formed a coalition government with the Irish Labor Party .

He had promised to liberalize Irish law , which was heavily influenced by Catholic moral teaching. However, in 1985 his government only managed to slightly relax the ban on the sale of contraceptives . An attempt to change the strict prohibition on divorce in the Irish constitution failed in a referendum.In addition, the previously legal ban on abortion was also anchored in the constitution by a referendum in 1983, so that it was only possible through a new referendum can be canceled.

He was more successful in trying to resolve the Northern Ireland conflict and reach a settlement with the British government. On November 15, 1985, he and the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which gave the Republic of Ireland some say in the administration of Northern Ireland , but recognized Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom .

For his services to this reconciliation and his life's work, he was awarded the Doctor honoris causa in law from the University of Ulster in July 2003.

During his tenure, Ireland found itself in a serious economic crisis. In the general election of March 1987, the Fine Gael suffered a defeat. FitzGerald resigned from the post of Prime Minister and was replaced by Charles Haughey. At the same time, he resigned from his position as chairman of Fine Gael after ten years and was replaced by the previous Minister of Justice, Alan Dukes .

In 1991 FitzGerald published his autobiography All in Life and finally withdrew from political life the following year.

FitzGerald finds the final resting place after a state funeral at Shanganagh cemetery in Shankill near Dublin.

Publications

  • Garret FitzGerald: Factors influencing air transport rates and fares. In: Journal of The Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland. Vol. XXVIII, Part V, 1951/1952, ISSN  0081-4776
  • Garret FitzGerald: Towards a New Ireland. 1972, ISBN 0853141614
  • Garret FitzGerald: All in a Life: Garret FitzGerald, an autobiography. 1991, ISBN 0333470346
  • Garret FitzGerald: When Ireland besame divided. 1999,
  • Garret FitzGerald: Reflections on the Irish State: Ireland since Independence. 2003, ISBN 0716527758
  • Garret FitzGerald and Paul Gillespie: Ireland's British Question. Article in Prospect magazine. October 2006

Biographical sources

Background information

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ex-Irish premier Garret FitzGerald dead at age 85 ( Memento from May 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), Yahoo News (Associated Press). Retrieved May 19, 2011
  2. ↑ http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1985/act/4/enacted/en/html Sales of contraceptives. Retrieved February 6, 2018
  3. ↑ http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/LocalGovernment/Voting/referendum_results_1937-2015.pdf Divorce referendum 1986. Accessed February 6, 2018
  4. ↑ http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/LocalGovernment/Voting/referendum_results_1937-2015.pdf Abortion referendum 1983. Accessed February 6, 2018
  5. ↑ Former Taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald Honored ( English ) University of Ulster. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  6. ^ The Irish Times : State funeral for former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald , May 19, 2011
personal data
SURNAME FitzGerald, Garret
ALTERNATIVE NAMES FitzGerald, Garret Michael; Mac Gearailt, Gearóid Mícheál
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Irish politician and prime minister
DATE OF BIRTH February 9, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Dublin
DATE OF DEATH May 19, 2011
Place of death Dublin