Michael Smith (politician)

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Michael Smith ( Irish Micheál Mac Gabhann ; born November 8, 1940 ) is an Irish politician.

Smith was first elected to the Dáil Éireann in 1969 for the Fianna Fáil . In the next election in 1973, however, he was unable to defend his mandate. He only managed to move back in 1977 when he was elected to the 21st Dáil Éireann. During the 21st Dáil, Smith served as Secretary of State in the Department of Agriculture from December 17, 1980 to June 30, 1981 . In 1982 he left the Dáil Éireann again. After successfully defending his seat in 1981, he missed re-entry in February 1982 and his next candidacy in November 1982 also failed. Instead, he was now elected to the Seanad Éireann , which he belonged to from 1982 to 1987. In 1987 Smith then moved back to the Dáil Éireann and was now a member of parliament until 2007. During the 25th Dáil he held several ministerial posts, most recently in the Ministry of Energy, and then from November 24, 1988 to July 12, 1989, Minister of Energy.

During the 26th Dáil he was Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry from July 19, 1989 to November 15, 1991, then became Minister of the Environment, which he also remained in the first half of the 27th Dáil, and held this office from February 11, 1992 to January 15, 1994. From November 18, 1994 to December 15 of the same year, he was briefly Minister of Education.

From July 1, 1997 to October 8, 1997, Smith was Secretary of State in the Department of Education and the Department of Commerce before becoming Secretary of Defense on October 8. On September 29, 2004, he resigned from this post. Willie O'Dea became the new Secretary of Defense . In 2007 elections to the Dáil Éireann, Smith lost his seat.

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