Seán MacEntee

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Seán MacEntee

Tánaiste
Periods in office: 23 June 1959 – 21 April 1965
Predecessor(s)	Seán Lemass
Successor(s)	Frank Aiken
Born	1889 Belfast, Ireland
Died	10 January 1984 Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil

Seán MacEntee (Irish: Seán Mac an tSaoi; 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 Éamon 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.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Rebellion years 3 In government 1932–1948 4 In government 1951–1965 5 Retirement 6 Politicial career

[edit] Early life

Seán MacEntee was born in College Square, Belfast in 1889. He was educated at St Mary's Christian Brothers School, now 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.

MacEntee founded the Association of Patent Agents [1] in 1929, having gained his interest in Patents when he worked as an assistant engineer in Dundalk Urban District Council. On Mr. MacEntee’s appointment as Minister for Finance in 1932, his colleague, Francis Litton who was acting as Secretary of the Association, circulated the members with a notice to the effect that the Association was “suspended” until such time as Mr. MacEntee could return as he now had to devote his energies to the affairs of the State. However, the other members decided to carry on. MacEntee must have valued his status as a Patent Agent since he maintained his name on the Register for over 30 years while he held Ministerial rank in the Irish Government, although he is not thought to have taken any active part in the patent business, which was carried on by his partner.

[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] Politicial career

Political offices
Preceded by Ernest Blythe	Minister for Finance 1932–1939	Succeeded by Seán T. O'Kelly
Preceded by Seán Lemass	Minister for Industry & Commerce 1939–1941	Succeeded by Seán Lemass
Preceded by Éamon 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 Paddy Smith	Minister for Social Welfare 1957–1961	Succeeded by Kevin Boland
Preceded by Seán Lemass	Tánaiste 1959–1965	Succeeded by Frank Aiken

Deputy Prime Ministers of Ireland Tánaistí na hÉireann
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
Vice-Presidents of the Executive Council Kevin O'Higgins • Ernest Blythe • Seán T. O'Kelly

This page incorporates information from the Oireachtas Members Database