Pat Upton

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Dr. Pat Upton (1st September 1944 – 22nd February 1999) was an Irish veterinarian and a senior Labour Party politician.

He was born in Kilrush, County Clare and educated at St Flannan's College in Ennis, at University College Galway, and at University College Dublin where he received a doctorate in veterinary medicine. He then worked as a lectuer.

1 Political career
2 Death
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Political career

Upton was first elected to public office as a Labour member of Dublin County Council for Terenure in the 1991 local elections, where he served until the Council's abolition in 1994.

He had unsuccessfully contested the constituency of Dublin South Central at the 1989 general election, where he was soundly beaten by Eric Byrne of the Workers' Party. However, he was then elected to the 11th Seanad on the Agricultural Panel, and became the Labour Party's leader in Seanad Éireann.

At the 1992 general election, he stood again in Dublin South Central, and in Labour's "Spring Tide" surge at that election, Upton topped the poll with nearly 12,000 first-preference votes, a remarkable 1.48 quotas. He was re-elected at the 1997 general election with a considerably reduced vote.

In the 28th Dáil he was appointed as Labour's spokesperson on spokesperson on Justice, Equality and Law Reform. A leading critics of Labour's 1999 merger with the Democratic Left, he nonetheless became the party's spokesman on communications and sport after the merger.

He was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in 1994–95

[edit] Death

He died suddenly of a heart attack on 22 February 1999 at the UCD veterinary school, where he was still an occasional lecturer, and was survived by his wife and their four children. Teachtaí Dála (TDs) of all parties paid glowing tributes to him an outspoken but "erudite and incisive"[1] contributions to politics and to Irish culture.

The by-election for his Dáil seat in Dublin South Central was held on 27 October 1999, and won for the Labour Party by his sister Mary Upton. She retained the seat in the 2002 general election.

[edit] Trivia

Following his death, the University College Dublin branch of the Labour party was named in his honour due to his involvement with the college. It has since been renamed the Upton/O'Riordan Branch to honour the Spanish Civil War veteran Michael O'Riordan.