Desmond FitzGerald (politician)

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For other people with similar names, see Desmond FitzGerald (disambiguation)

Desmond FitzGerald (February 13, 1888 – April 9, 1947), Irish revolutionary, poet and Cumann na nGaedhael politician.

Thomas Desmond FitzGerald was born in London in 1888. FitzGerald married in 1911, lived in France until 1913 and then moved to County Kerry. During this period he became involved with the Imagist group of poets. He joined the Irish Volunteers in 1914 and organised a Volunteers group in County Kerry. In 1915 FitzGerald was imprisoned for making a political speech. He was later expelled from Kerry and moved to County Wicklow. He fought at the 'General Post Office' during the 1916 Rising and was imprisoned. He was released in 1918 when he was elected as a Sinn Féin MP. Following the assembley of the First Dáil in 1919 FitzGerald was appointed Director of Publicity for Dáil Éireann, editing the Irish Bulletin. He was arrested again in March 1921, but was released following the Anglo-Irish Treaty later that year.

He supported the Treaty and became the first Minister for External Affairs of the new independent Irish Free State. He represented the new state at the League of Nations and at Imperial Conferences. In 1927 FitzGerald became Minister for Defence. Following the defeat of the government in 1932 he remained as a TD until 1938. That year he was appointed to Seanad Éireann. He remained there until he retired from politics in 1943.

Fitzgerald was married to the former Mabel McConville, a Protestant Irish nationalist, and one of his sons, Garret FitzGerald, served as Taoiseach on two occasions in the 1980s.

Desmond FitzGerald died on April 9, 1947, in Dublin, Ireland.

[edit] Ministerial Career

Preceded by Newly Created Office	Minister for Publicity 1921–1922	Succeeded by Office Abolished
Preceded by Michael Hayes	Minister for External Affairs 1922–1927	Succeeded by Kevin O'Higgins
Preceded by Peter Hughes	Minister for Defence 1927–1932	Succeeded by Frank Aiken