Clifford Irving (24 May 1914 – 13 July 2004) was an

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

politician who, in a four-decade career lasting from 1955 to 1995, fulfilled a number of legislative and administrative duties, including those of

Chairman of the Executive Council The Chairman of the Executive Council of the Isle of Man was the executive head of the Isle of Man Government from 1961 to 1986. The title of the office was changed in 1986 to Chief Minister. Chairmen See also *Chief Minister * Executive Co ...

and Member of the Legislative Council. Irving first stood for election to the

House of Keys The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council. History The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in ...

in 1955 and represented the constituencies of

Douglas North Douglas North is a House of Keys constituency in Douglas, Isle of Man Douglas ( gv, Doolish, ) is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, a ...

and

Douglas East Douglas East is a House of Keys constituency in Douglas, Isle of Man. It elects 2 MHKs. Since the 2021 local elections the constituency's area has been adopted for Douglas East (ward) which replaced most of Victoria and Derby wards. The ward ...

from 1955 to 1962 and 1966 to 1981, rising, in 1977, to become

, the forerunner to the

Chief Minister of the Isle of Man The Chief Minister (Manx: ''Ard-shirveishagh'') is the executive head of the Isle of Man Government. The office derives from that of Chairman of the Executive Council. Before 1980 the Executive Council was chaired by the Lieutenant Governor, b ...

, a position he held until the end of his term of service in 1981. He returned to the House of Keys as MHK for Douglas West from 1984 to 1986. In 1987 he was elevated to the Legislative Council where he remained until 1995. During his earlier term of service as Chairman of the Tourist Board in 1971, he oversaw the Island's tourism flourish for a decade, famously offering a £10,000 reward to anyone finding a mermaid in Manx waters. Irving lived for another nine years after the end of his public service career in 1995. He died shortly after his 90th birthday.

Governmental positions

* Chairman of the Tourism Board, 1971–1981 *

, 1977–1981 Manx politicians 1914 births 2004 deaths Chairmen of the Executive Council of the Isle of Man {{IsleofMan-politician-stub