Seán MacEntee
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Tánaiste |
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Predecessor(s) | Seán Lemass |
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Successor(s) | Frank Aiken |
Born | 1889 Belfast, Ireland |
Died | 10 January 1984 Dublin, Ireland |
Political party | Fianna Fáil |
Seán MacEntee (1889–1984) was a senior Irish politician. In a career that spanned over forty years as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála, MacEntee was one of the most important figures in post-independence Ireland. He served in the governments of Eamon de Valera and Seán Lemass in a range of ministerial positions, including Finance, Industry & Commerce and Health. He served as Tánaiste of Ireland from 1959 to 1965. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving member of the First Dáil.
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[edit] Early life
Seán MacEntee was born in College Square, Belfast in 1889. He was educated at St Mary's Christian Brothers Grammar School, St. Malachy's College and the Belfast Municipal College of Technology where he qualified as an electrical engineer. His early political involvement was with the Irish Socialist Republican Party in Belfast city. Following his education MacEntee worked as an engineer in Dundalk, County Louth, and was involved in the establishment of a local corps of the Irish Volunteers in the town. He mobilised in Dundalk and fought in the General Post Office Garrison in the Easter Rising in 1916. He was sentenced to death for his part in the rising. This sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. MacEntee was released in the general amnesty in 1917, and was later elected a member of the National Executives of both Sinn Féin and the Irish Volunteers in October 1917. MacEntee was later elected Sinn Féin Member of Parliament (MP) for Monaghan South (UK Parliament constituency) in the 1918 general election.
[edit] Rebellion years
An attempt to develop his career as a consulting engineer in Belfast was interrupted by the War of Independence in 1919. MacEntee served as Vice-Commandant of the Belfast Brigade of the Irish Republican Army until April 1921 when he was transferred to Dublin to direct a special anti-partition campaign in connection with the May general election.
It was on the partition of Ireland issue that MacEntee voted against the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. During the subsequent Civil War MacEntee commanded the IRA unit in Marlboro Street Post Office in Dublin. He later fought with Cathal Brugha in the Hamman Hotel, and was subsequently interned in Kilmainham and Gormanstown until December 1923.
After his release MacEntee devoted himself more fully to his engineering practice, although he did contest unsuccessfully the county Dublin by-election of 1924. He became a founder-member of Fianna Fáil in 1926 and was elected Teachta Dála for County Dublin in the June 1927 general election.
[edit] In government 1932-1948
In 1932 Fianna Fáil came to power for the very first time, with MacEntee becoming Minister for Finance. In keeping with the party's protectionist economic policies his first budget in March of that year saw the introduction of new duties on forty-three imports, many of them coming from Britain. This saw retaliation from the British government, which in turn provoked a response from the Irish government. This was the beginning of the Economic War between the two nations, however, a treaty in 1938, signed by MacEntee and other senior members brought an end to the issue.
In 1939 World War II broke out and a cabinet reshuffle resulted in MacEntee being appointed Minister for Industry & Commerce, taking over from his rival Seán Lemass. During his tenure at this department MacEntee introduced the important Trade Union Act (1941). In 1941 another reshuffle of ministers took place, with MacEntee becoming Minister for Local Government and Public Health. The Health portfolio was transferred to a new Department of Health in 1947. Following the 1948 general election Fianna Fáil returned to the backbenches for the first time in sixteen years.
[edit] In government 1951-1965
In 1951 Fianna Fáil were back with a minority government. MacEntee once again returned to the position of Minister for Finance where he felt it was vital to deal with the balance of payments deficit. He brought in a harsh budget in 1951 which raised income tax and tariffs on imports. His chief aim was to cut spending and reduce imports, however, this came at a cost as unemployment increased sharply. The increases were retained in his next two budgets in 1952 and 1953. It is often said that it was MacEntee's performance during this period that cost Fianna Fáil the general election in 1954. The poor grasp on economics also did his political career tremendous damage as up to that point he was seen as a likely successor as Taoiseach. Now, however, Seán Lemass was firmly seen as the "heir apparent".
In 1957 Fianna Fáil returned to power with an overall majority with MacEntee being appointed Minister for Health. The financial and economic portfolios were dominated by Lemass and other like-minded ministers who wanted to move away from protection to free trade. He is credited during this period with the reorganisation of the health services, the establishment of separate departments of health and social welfare, and the fluoridation of water supplies in Ireland. In 1959 MacEntee became Tánaiste when Seán Lemass was elected Taoiseach.
[edit] Retirement
Following the 1965 general election MacEntee was 76 years old and retired from the government. This did not mean that he went quietly to the backbenches. He re-emerged in 1966 to launch a verbal attack on Seán Lemass for deciding to step down as party leader and Taoiseach. The two men, however, patched up their differences shortly afterwards. MacEntee retired from Dáil Éireann in 1969.
Seán MacEntee died in Dublin on January 10, 1984, at the age of 94. He had married a fiercely nationalistic woman from Limerick, Margaret Browne, and their daughter is the Irish poet Máire Mhac an tSaoi. She is married to the politician turned iconoclast Conor Cruise O'Brien.
[edit] Ministerial career
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Ernest Blythe |
Minister for Finance 1932–1939 |
Succeeded by Seán T. O'Kelly |
Preceded by Seán F. Lemass |
Minister for Industry & Commerce 1939–1941 |
Succeeded by Seán F. Lemass |
Preceded by Eamon de Valera |
Minister for Local Government & Public Health 1941–1948 |
Succeeded by Timothy J. Murphy |
Preceded by Patrick McGilligan |
Minister for Finance 1951–1954 |
Succeeded by Gerard Sweetman |
Preceded by Tom O'Higgins |
Minister for Health 1957–1965 |
Succeeded by Donagh O'Malley |
Preceded by Patrick Smith |
Minister for Social Welfare 1957–1961 |
Succeeded by Kevin Boland |
Preceded by Seán F. Lemass |
Tánaiste 1959–1965 |
Succeeded by Frank Aiken |
Deputy Prime Ministers of Ireland Tánaistithe na hÉireann |
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Seán T. O'Kelly | Seán Lemass | William Norton | Seán MacEntee | Frank Aiken | Erskine H. Childers | Brendan Corish | George Colley | Michael O'Leary | Ray MacSharry | Dick Spring | Peter Barry | Brian Lenihan | John P. Wilson | Bertie Ahern | Mary Harney | Michael McDowell |
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Vice-Presidents of the Executive Council |
This page incorporates information from the Oireachtas Members Database
Categories: 1889 births | 1984 deaths | Irish Ministers for Finance | Irish Fianna Fáil Party politicians | Irish Republican Army members 1917-1922 | Irish Republican Army members 1922-1969 | Irish poets | Tánaistithe of Ireland | People from Belfast | UK MPs 1918-1922 | Members of the 1st Dáil | Members of the 2nd Dáil | Members of the 5th Dáil | Members of the 6th Dáil | Members of the 7th Dáil | Members of the 8th Dáil | Members of the 9th Dáil | Members of the 10th Dáil | Members of the 11th Dáil | Members of the 12th Dáil | Members of the 13th Dáil | Members of the 14th Dáil | Members of the 15th Dáil | Members of the 16th Dáil | Members of the 17th Dáil | Members of the 18th Dáil