Garret FitzGerald Biography Cabinet June 1981 March 1982

**An Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, T.D**

Rank:	7th Taoiseach
First Term:	June 30 1981 - March 9 1982
Second Term:	December 14December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 17 days remaining. Events 867 Adrian II becomes Pope 872 John VIII becomes Pope 1287 Zuider Zee sea wall collapses, killing over 50,000 people 1790 Alexand 1982 - March 10March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). There are 296 days remaining. Events 241 BC First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands The Romans sinks the Carthaginian fleet; end of First Punic War. 1496 Christoph 19871987 is a common year starting on Thursday. Events January January 1 Nunavut's capital changes it name to Iqaluit from Frobisher Bay. January 3 Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. January 4 An Amtrak train
Predecessor:	Charles HaugheyCharles James Haughey (born September 16, 1925) was the sixth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland. He served three periods as Taoiseach: from 1979 to 1981, from March to December 1982, and from 1987 to 1992. He was first elected as a Fianna Fail TD in 19
Successor:	Charles HaugheyCharles James Haughey (born September 16, 1925) was the sixth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland. He served three periods as Taoiseach: from 1979 to 1981, from March to December 1982, and from 1987 to 1992. He was first elected as a Fianna Fail TD in 19
Date of Birth:	TuesdayTuesday is the day of the week between Monday and Wednesday. The English name derives from the Germanic god Tyr. Shrove Tuesday (also called Mardi Gras fat Tuesday precedes the first day of Lent in the Western Christian calendar. Tuesday is the usual day, February 9, 1926
Place of Birth:	Dublin, Ireland
Profession:	Journalist
Political Party:	Fine Gael
Tánaiste:	Michael O'Leary (Lab) ( 1981- 1982) Dick Spring (Lab) ( 1982- 1987) Peter Barry (FG) ( 1987)

1 Biography

FitzGerald was one of the Republic of Ireland's most popular politicians, known to all sides simply as 'Garret'. He served two times as Taoiseach (prime minister) as well as an earlier stint as Minister for Foreign Affairs. His gregarious nature, his notorious ability to talk faster than many thought humanly possible, and his 'absent minded professor' image, made him a major political force from his entry into Irish politics in the mid 1960s until his retirement in 1992. He now writes a weekly column for The Irish Times.

Garret is the son of Desmond FitzGerald, himself a former Minister for External Affairs (the name by which Foreign Affairs was known before 1972) in the 1920s. Desmond had been one of the founders of Cumann na nGaedhael, the party created to support the Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in 1921 between Britain and Ireland, and which created the Irish Free State. Though a senior figure on the 'pro-treaty' side of Ireland's political divide (which had seen a civil war, fought between pro- and anti-treatyites in 1922 and 1923), Garret's father had remained friendly with anti-treatyites, notably Seán MacEntee, a minister in Eamon de Valera's governments. In contrast, Desmond's wife, Mabel, a Protestant, held more republican views and republican sympathies than her husband. It was into this mix of Free State governance and friendships across the political divide that Garret was born.

An intellectually brilliant student (who counted among his classmates in University College Dublin, his future political rival, Charles J. Haughey (who at one stage dated Joan O'Farrell, daughter of a British Army officer and a fellow student who later married Garret)) Garret's mathematical abilities and quick intellect led him to be approached by Fianna Fáil leader Sean Lemass and invited to join the party in the early 1960s. However FitzGerald followed in his father's footsteps by joining the rival Fine Gael party that itself had originated as Cumann na nGaedhael. FitzGerald became a member of Seanad Éireann (the Irish Senate) in 1965 before being elected to Dáil Éireann (The House of Representatives) in 1969. Almost immediately, FitzGerald was picked to become a senior party figure. When the party (along with the Labour) won the 1973 general election, many expected that he would be made Minister for Finance.

Instead. new taoiseach Liam Cosgrave chose FitzGerald to be Minister for Foreign Affairs, a particular irony as FitzGerald's father, Desmond had held that post in a government led by Liam Cosgrave's father W.T. Cosgrave forty years earlier. FitzGerald is, by general consensus, regarded as one of Ireland's best Foreign Ministers. The minister's role had changed substantially since his father's day. Ireland no longer was a member of the Commonwealth of Nations but had in 1973 joined the European Economic Community (EEC), now known as the European Union (EU).

In 1977, Fine Gael along with Labour suffered a disastrous electoral defeat. Liam Cosgrave resigned as party leader and FitzGerald was chosen by acclamation to succeed him. Under FitzGerald, Fine Gael experienced a rapid rise in support and popularity. By the November 1982 election, it held only five seats less than Fianna Fáil (their closest ever margin, where sometimes Fianna Fáil was nearly twice as large), with Fine Gael in the Oireachtas (two houses together) bigger than Fianna Fáil, an unprecedented achievement. Much of the success was FitzGerald'; he brought in a new generation of brilliant young politicians, including future taoiseach John Bruton, future party leaders Alan Dukes and Michael Noonan, and other exceptional figures such as Jim Mitchell, Ivan Yates and Gemma Hussey. But Fine Gael's rise was in part a reaction to the controversial nature and unpopularity of his old college rival and now Fianna Fáil leader, Charles J. Haughey. The epic battles between Haughey and FitzGerald (or 'Charlie' and 'Garret' as it was personalised) dominated Irish politics in the 1980s.

Garret first became taoiseach in July 1981, at the head of a minority Fine Gael-Labour government. When they entered office, they found the public finances were in a chaotic state. A draconian mid year budget was introduced almost immediately. However the second budget in January 1982 led to the Government's shock defeat in Dáil Éireann. Viewing his defeat as a Loss of Supply FitzGerald headed to Áras an Uachtaráin, the presidential palace, to request an immediate Dáil dissolution from President Hillery. When got there, he was informed that a series of telephone calls had been made by senior opposition figures (and some independent TDs, including Fianna Fáil leader (and ex-taoiseach) Charles J. Haughey, Brian Lenihan and Sylvester Barrett demanding that the President, as he could constitutionally do where a taoiseach had 'ceased to retain the support of a majority in Dáil Éireann', refuse FitzGerald a parliamentary dissolution, forcing his resignation as taoiseach and enabling the Dáil to nominate someone else for the post. The President angrily rejected such pressure, regarding it as gross misconduct, and granted the dissolution. (These events came back to haunt one of the alleged callers, Brian Lenihan, when his differing accounts of his role that night led to his dismissal from Haughey's cabinet in 1990 during his own unsuccessful presidential election campaign.)

FitzGerald narrowly lost that general election, but regained power in a second general election in November 1982. Though a highly successful Minister for Foreign Affairs, Garret was judged a relatively poor Taoiseach; his notoriously long cabinet meetings were dreaded by ministers, while differences in policy between Fine Gael and Labour prevented the Government from agreeing an approach to deal with the Irish economic crisis and spiralling government debt.

As Taoiseach, he advocated a liberalisation of Irish society, to create what he called the non-sectarian nation of ' Tone and Davis'. His attempt to introduce divorce was defeated in a referendum, though he did liberalise Ireland's contraception laws. A controversial ' 'Pro-Life Amendment' (anti-abortion clause), which was stated to recognise the 'Right to Life of the Unborn, with due regard to the Equal Right to Life of the Mother' was added to the Irish constitution, Bunreacht na hÉireann, against FitzGerald's advice, in a national referendum. His most dramatic success was in the introduction of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which provided for a mechanism by which the Republic of Ireland could be consulted by the British Government under Margaret Thatcher and through a mechanism called the 'Anglo-Irish Conference' contribute to, the governance of Northern Ireland.

Fine Gael was defeated heavily in the 1987 general election. FitzGerald resigned immediately from the party leadership. He retired as a TD in the general election in 1992. Since then he has written a popular weekly column every Saturday in The Irish Times. He came out of retirement to campaign for a yes vote in the second Nice referendum, held in 2002.

His wife Joan died in the 1990s, after years of crippling illness.

2 Cabinet June 1981 - March 1982

3 Cabinet December 1982 - March 1987

An Taoiseach: Garret FitzGerald
An Tánaiste: Dick Spring ( 1982- 1987), Peter Barry ( 1987)
Minister for Finance: Alan Dukes ( 1982- 1986), John Bruton ( 1986- 1987)
- Minister for Finance & the Public Service ( 1987)
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Peter Barry ( 1982- 1987)
Minister for Justice: Michael Noonan ( 1982- 1986), Alan Dukes ( 1986- 1987)
Minister for Trade, Commerce & Tourism: Frank Cluskey ( 1982- 1983)
- Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce & Tourism: John Bruton ( 1983- 1986)
- Minister for Industry & Commerce: Michael Noonan ( 1986- 1987)
Minister for Labour: Liam Kavanagh ( 1982- 1983), Ruairí Quinn ( 1983- 1986
- Minister for Labour & the Public Service: Ruairí Quinn ( 1986- 1987)
- Minister for Labour: Gemma Hussey ( 1987)
Minister for Industry & Energy: John Bruton ( 1982- 1983)
- Minister for Energy: Dick Spring ( 1983- 1987), Michael Noonan ( 1987)
Minister for Agriculture: Austin Deasy
Minister for Defence: Patrick Cooney ( 1982- 1986), Paddy O'Toole ( 1986- 1987)
Minister for Education: Gemma Hussey ( 1982- 1986), Patrick Cooney ( 1986- 1987)
Minister for Health & Social Welfare: Barry Desmond ( 1982- 1986
- Minister for Health: Barry Desmond ( 1986- 1987), John Boland ( 1987)
Minister for Transport and Posts & Telegraphs: Jim Mitchell ( 1982- 1984)
- Minister for Communications: Jim Mitchell ( 1984- 1987)
Minister for the Environment: Dick Spring 1982- 1983), Liam Kavanagh ( 1983- 1986), John Boland ( 1986- 1987)
Minister for Fisheries & Forestry: Paddy O'Toole ( 1982- 1986)
- Minister for Tourism, Fisheries & Forestry: Liam Kavanagh ( 1986- 1987), Paddy O'Toole ( 1987)
Minister for Social Welfare: Gemma Hussey ( 1986- 1987)
Minister for Gaeltacht: Paddy O'Toole

4 Political Career

Preceded by: Brian Lenihan	Minister for Foreign Affairs 1973-1977	Succeeded by: Michael O'Kennedy
Preceded by: Liam Cosgrave	Leader of the Fine Gael Party 1977-1987	Succeeded by: Alan Dukes
Preceded by: Jack Lynch	Leader of the Opposition 1977-1981	Succeeded by: Charles Haughey
Preceded by: Charles Haughey	Taoiseach 1981-1982
	Leader of the Opposition 1982
	Taoiseach 1982-1987

Taoisigh na hÉireann
Eamon de Valera \| John A. Costello \| Seán F. Lemass \| Jack M. Lynch \| Liam T. Cosgrave \| Charles J. Haughey \| Garret FitzGerald \| Albert Reynolds \| John Bruton \| Bertie Ahern

Presidents of the Executive Council Eamon de Valera \| William T. Cosgrave

FitzGerald, Garret FitzGerald, Garret Fitzgerald, Garret

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