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Charles 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 Fáil TD in 1957 and held his seat until his retirement in 1992. Haughey served as Minister for Justice (1961–1964), Minister for Agriculture (1964–1966), Minister for Finance (1966–1970) and Minister for Health (1977–1979). Haughey was controversially dismissed from the Cabinet in 1970 for allegedly attempting to import arms for use in Northern Ireland. In 1979 he became the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil. Haughey is credited with reforming the economy in the late eighties and early nineties. Also allegations about financial dealings and corruption have weakened his popularity in recent years.
Biography
Charles J. Haughey was born on September 16 1925 in Castlebar, County Mayo. Haughey was educated at St Joseph's, Marino in Dublin. He qualified as an accountant from University College Dublin (where his great rival, Garret FitzGerald, was a contemporary) and went on for further studies at King's Inns. Both Haughey's parents, Seán and Sarah, were both from Derry and were active during the Irish War of Independence. When Charles was born his father was serving in the army; however, he developed multiple sclerosis and had to retire. The family then moved to Dublin. Before Haughey was elected to Dáil Éireann he was employed in the accountancy firm Haughey, Boland.
Early Political Life
Haughey was one of the most controversial of Irish politicians. He started his political career with an embarrassing defeat in a by-election. However, in the Irish General Election, 1957 he was elected to Dáil Éireann. His first ministerial post was Parliamentary Secretary (junior minister) to the Minister for Justice, Oscar Traynor. Though Haughey was the son-in-law of then-party-leader and Taoiseach, Sean Lemass, Lemass urged Haughey to decline the offer, which was made by the cabinet. Haughey took the post anyway, ultimately replacing Traynor as Justice Minister, with a seat in cabinet in 1961.
Haughey proved to be perhaps the best Minister for Justice in Irish history, initiating a scale of legislative reform that was unparalleled, before or since. In 1964, when the Minister of Agriculture, Paddy Smith, resigned in a major row, Lemass moved Haughey to that department. His period as Agriculture Minister was less successful, however. He served as President Eamon de Valera's director of elections in the Irish presidential election, 1966. He convinced Radio Telefís Éireann not to cover the campaign of the rival candidate, Fine Gael's Tom O'Higgins, on the basis that as de Valera wasn't campaigning, to cover O'Higgins would be unfair. However de Valera then got a high public profile as President and as the last survivor of the senior leaders of the Easter Rising during the 1966 Rising's fiftieth commemoration. However his campaign went badly wrong, with de Valera only scraping re-election by ten thousand votes out of a total poll of nearly one million. De Valera developed a negative view of Haughey, whom he distrusted and whom he told another minister some years later would destroy Fianna Fáil.
In 1966, Lemass resigned as Taoiseach. Fianna Fáil seemed destined to have the first contested battle for the leadership, with possible candidates including Haughey, Neil Blaney, Paddy Hillery and George Colley. Hillery however wasn't interested, while Lemass talked most of the others out of contesting, proposing the Minister for Finance, Jack Lynch, as the compromise leader. Colley however declined to withdraw. Lynch was overewhelmingly elected leader. He appointed Haughey to his old post as Minister for Finance.
Arms Crisis
Again, Haughey showed a radical, reforming streak. Small scale initiatives caught the public imagination; free travel for Old Age Pensioners on public transport, tax-free status for artists. The late 1960s saw the appearance of violence on the streets of Northern Ireland. Nationalists were coming under attack from Loyalists and the security forces. Haughey was sympathetic towards their cause. In 1970 he was accused, along with Neil Blaney, of illegally importing arms with the purpose of supplying them to Nationalists. The Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, dismissed both ministers for not complying with party policy. In May 1970 Haughey was arrested for conspiring to import arms illegally. In the 'Arms Trial' which followed, both Haughey and Neil Blaney were acquitted.
Taoiseach
(see also 1980's Ireland)
In 1975 Fianna Fáil was in opposition. Haughey was appointed as the party's spokesman on Health. After the landslide victory in the Irish General Election, 1977 Haughey was appointed Minister for Health. In 1979 Jack Lynch retired as Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader. George Colley and Haughey were the two candidates in the leadership contest. Haughey was elected leader and was appointed Taoiseach by the Dáil. His first government failed to tackle the economic crisis in the country at the time, on January 9th, 1980 he addressed the nation by RTÉ television:
- ...the figures which are just now becoming available to us show one thing very clearly. As a community we are living away beyond our means...we have been living at a rate which is simply not justifiable by the amount of goods and services we are producing. To make up the difference we have been borrowing enormous amounts of money, borrowing at a rate which just cannot continue. A few simple figures will make this very clear...we will just have to reorganise government spending so that we can only undertake those things we can afford...
The following budget, within weeks, was promised to be most conservative for many years; however, under enormous political pressure he capitulated and commenced a spending spree. In 1981 an election was called and a Fine Gael-Labour coalition came to power. This lasted until 1982 when Haughey returned as Taoiseach. However in November 1982 another election was called and the coalition came to power again.
In the Irish General Election, 1987 Haughey became Taoiseach in a minority Fianna Fáil government. His administration made serious progress regarding the restoration of the balance in the public finances. In 1989 another election was called however Fianna Fáil lost seats in the Dáil. A coalition government was formed between Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats, headed by Desmond O'Malley. In 1991 Haughey and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gerard Collins, officially signed Ireland in as a member of the European Union. In November 1991 Albert Reynolds challenged Haughey for the position of Fianna Fáil leader. He was unsuccessful in his bid and resigned as Minister for Finance.
Fall from power
In February 1992 former Minister for Justice, Seán Doherty, stated in a television interview that Haughey had been aware of the telephone tappings of two political journalists in 1982. Haughey denied this but was forced to resign as Taoiseach. Albert Reynolds became Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader.
Failing Health
Media reports in May 2003 suggested that Haughey, who had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 1995 had suffered a major sudden decline in health. His son, Sean Haughey, TD flew back from abroad to join his family at Haughey's bedside in a Dublin hospital. However Haughey recovered. However on 13 August 2003 it was revealed that Haughey, facing demands to pay millions of euro in back taxes on undeclared income, had to sell his large Georgian residence and estate in Kinsealy in north County Dublin. It was reported that the deal would net Haughey 35 million euro before tax. Haughey will however continue to own his own private island, Innisvickalaun, one of the famed Blasket Islands.
Cabinet December 1979 - June 1981
Cabinet March 1982 - December 1982
Cabinet March 1987 - February 1992
- An Taoiseach: Charles J. Haughey
- An Tánaiste: Brian Lenihan (1987-1990), John P. Wilson (1990-1992)
- Minister for Finance: Ray MacSharry (1987-1988), Albert Reynolds (1988-1991), Bertie Ahern (1991-1992)
- Minister for Foreign Affairs: Brian Lenihan (1987-1989), Gerard Collins (1989-1992)
- Minister for Justice: Gerard Collins (1987-1989), Ray Burke (1989-1992)
- Minister for Industry & Commerce: Albert Reynolds (1987-1988), Ray Burke (1988-1989), Desmond O'Malley (1989-1992)
- Minister for Labour: Bertie Ahern (1987-1991), Michael O'Kennedy (1991-1992)
- Minister for Agriculture: Michael O'Kennedy (1987)
- Minister for Defence: Michael J. Noonan (1987-1989), Brian Lenihan (1989-1990), Charles Haughey (1990-1991), Brendan Daly (1991), Vincent Brady (1991-1992)
- Minister for Education: Mary O'Rourke (1987-1991), Noel Davern (1991-1992)
- Minister for Health: Rory O'Hanlon (1987-1991), Mary O'Rourke (1991-1992)
- Minister for Tourism & Transport: Ray MacSharry (1987), John P. Wilson (1987-1989), Séamus Brennan (1989-1991)
- Minister for Communications: John P. Wilson (1987), Ray Burke (1987-1991)
- Minister for Energy: Ray Burke (1987-1988), Michael Smith (1988-1989), Bobby Molloy (1989-1992)
- Minister for the Environment: Pádraig Flynn (1987-1991), John P. Wilson (1991), Rory O'Hanlon (1991-1992)
- Minister for the Marine: Brendan Daly (1987-1989), John P. Wilson (1989-1992),
- Minister for the Gaeltacht: Charles Haughey
- Minister for Social Welfare: Michael Woods (1987-1991), Brendan Daly (1991-1992)
Political Career
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