Patrick Smith (politician)

Patrick " Paddy " Smith (Irish Pádraig Mac Gabhann, born July 17, 1901 in Cootehill, County Cavan, † 18 March 1982) was an Irish Sinn Féin politician and the Fianna Fáil and several times minister.

Biography

Smith, who worked as a farmer, his political career began after the end of the Irish Civil War and was established in 1923 as a representative of Sinn Féin as a member of the lower house ( Dáil Éireann ) chosen, but took to protest the situation after the civil war his parliamentary seat not a. In the next general election in 1927 he was elected as representative of the Fianna Fáil in the Dáil Éireann and represented there for fifty years after 15 re- elections until 1977 the constituency of Cavan.

On 27 June 1939 he was appointed by Taoiseach (Prime Minister ) Éamon de Valera to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister and the first time a government official. Then he was on 2 July 1943 to December 31, 1946 Parliamentary Secretary of the Treasury before he was Parliamentary Secretary at the Agriculture Minister between 1 January and 21 January 1947.

Then he was on January 22, 1947 as part of a reshuffle successor of longtime Minister of Agriculture James Ryan, who in turn was Health Minister and Minister for Social Welfare. After the electoral defeat of Fianna Fáil against the Fine Gael he resigned from the government on 18 June 1948.

On June 13, 1951 Prime Minister de Valera appointed him after the reelection again in the government, where he was in 1954 Minister of Local Government to the re- election defeat on June 2. Finally, he was appointed by de Valera, even after the election victory in 1957 back to the government in which he was on 20 March 1957, Minister of Local Government and Minister for Social Welfare, initially until 27 November. Then he was again at a government reshuffle Minister of Agriculture and holding office under de Valera's successor, Seán Lemass, until his resignation on October 8, 1964.

In his last term, he was following the resignation of Frank Aiken from 1973 to 1977, the last politician who continuously belonged to the House of Commons since 1923, and thus unofficially " Father of the Dáil ." 1977 waived the 76- year-old Patrick Smith on a renewed candidacy in the general election and retired from the Dáil from.