Seán MacEntee

Seán MacEntee ( Irish: Seán Mac tSaoi ) ( born August 22, 1889 in Belfast, † January 9, 1984 in Dublin) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician, Deputy Prime Minister ( Tánaiste ) and long-time minister.

Biography

MacEntee began his political career as a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA ) during the Easter Rising in 1916 and belonged to the IRA until 1921. He was also a 1917-1921 member of the National Executive Committee of the Irish Volunteers.

In 1918, he was first a deputy of the lower house ( Dáil Éireann ) was chosen as representative of Sinn Féin and was as such in 1921 to those Members who voted against the Anglo - Irish Treaty of 1921, which sealed the Irish War of Independence and the creation of the Irish Free State. Although he was, despite his revolutionary background doubt staunch supporter of the Republic, he took the view that the union with Northern Ireland could only be achieved by winning the confidence of the Ulster Unionists.

In 1927 he was one of the founders of Fianna Fáil, the largest Irish political party.

In March 1932 he was appointed by Prime Minister ( Taoiseach ) Éamon de Valera as Minister of Finance for the first time in a government and was in the following years until 1965, all formed by the Fianna Fáil governments. As part of a Government reshuffle he left the Treasury in September 1939 and was appointed Minister of Industry and Trade. Then he was from August 1941 until the election defeat of Fianna Fáil in February 1948 Minister for Local Administration.

After the election victory of his party he belonged to the government of de Valera between June 1951 and June 1954 again as Minister of Finance. After the three-year government of Fine Gael under Prime Minister John A. Costello, he was appointed Minister of Health of Prime Minister de Valera in March 1957 and held that post until April 1965. He was also from November 1957 to October 1961 Minister of Social Welfare. As Seán Lemass in 1959 de Valera successor as prime minister on June 23, MacEntee Lemass took over from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister ( Tánaiste ).

On April 21, 1965 MacEntee retired after 27 years of service as a minister from the Cabinet and was replaced by longtime Foreign Minister Frank Aiken as Deputy Prime Minister. He was thus the last living politician who had actively participated in the Easter Rising of 1916.