Patrick Smith (politician)

Patrick (Paddy) Smith (17 July 1901 – 18 March 1982) was an Irish politician.^[1] He served in a number of government positions under Éamon de Valera and Seán Lemass. He holds the distinction of being the longest-serving member of Dáil Éireann, having been a member for 53 years, 11 months.

Born in Cootehill, County Cavan, Smith was involved in the 1916 Easter Rising and later in the Irish Republican Army, during the War of Independence. An opponent of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1922, Smith was first elected to the Dáil at the 1923 general election at age 22 as a Republican Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cavan constituency.^[2] He was also a founder-member of the Fianna Fáil political party in 1926. During his time as TD he served in the Cabinets of Éamon de Valera and Seán Lemass as Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Local Government, and Minister for Social Welfare. He resigned from the government as Minister for Agriculture in 1964 in protest at the government's response to certain farming issues. Smith retired from politics at the 1977 general election at the age of 76.

References