Desmond FitzGerald (politician)
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Desmond FitzGerald (February 13, 1888 – April 9, 1947) was an 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, also served as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the 1970s and served as Taoiseach on two occasions in the 1980s.
Desmond FitzGerald died on April 9, 1947, in Dublin, Ireland.
[edit] Political career
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
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 |
[edit] See also
Categories: 1888 births | 1947 deaths | Irish Ministers for Foreign Affairs | Members of the United Kingdom Parliament from Dublin constituencies (1801-1922) | Irish Cumann na nGaedhael Party politicians | Irish Fine Gael Party politicians | Former Teachtaí Dála | Imagists | Members of the 1st Dáil | Members of the 2nd Dáil | Members of the 3rd Dáil | Members of the 4th Dáil | Members of the 5th Dáil | Members of the 6th Dáil | Members of the 7th Dáil | Members of the 8th Dáil | Members of the 3rd Seanad