Thomas Kenneth Whitaker (8 December 1916 – 9 January 2017) was an Irish economist, politician, diplomat and civil servant who served as Secretary (administrative head) of Ireland’s Department of Finance from 1956 to 1969, as

Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland The Central Bank of Ireland ( ga, Banc Ceannais na hÉireann) is Ireland's central bank, and as such part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). It is the country's financial services regulator for most categories of financial firms ...

from 1969 to 1976 and as a Senator from 1977 to 1982, after being

nominated by the Taoiseach A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

. He is credited with a pivotal role in the economic development of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Early life and education

Whitaker was born in

Rostrevor Rostrevor () is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the foot of Slieve Martin on the coast of Carlingford Lough, near Warrenpoint. The Kilbroney River flows through the village and Rostrevor Forest is nearb ...

, a small town in the south of County Down, to Roman Catholic parents on 8 December 1916, and was reared in Drogheda, County Louth, in modest circumstances. Neither of his parents were from Ulster. His mother, Jane O'Connor, came from Ballyguirey East, Labasheeda,

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...

. His father, Edward Whitaker, hailed from County Westmeath and was assistant manager of a linen mill. He received his primary and secondary education at the local CBS in Drogheda. He studied mathematics, Celtic studies and Latin by correspondence course at

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, and was awarded external degrees in economics: a Bachelors degree in 1941 and a Masters in 1952.

Career

In 1956, Whitaker was appointed Secretary of the Department of Finance, at the age of thirty-nine. His appointment took place at a time when Ireland's economy was in deep depression. Economic growth was non-existent,

inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reduct ...

apparently insoluble,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

rife, living standards low and

emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanent ...

at a figure not far below the

birth rate The birth rate for a given period is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registration system for births; populati ...

. Whitaker believed that

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...

, with increased competition and the end of

protectionism Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulatio ...

, would become inevitable and that jobs would have to be created by a shift from agriculture to industry and services. He formed a team of officials within the department which produced a detailed study of the economy, culminating in a plan recommending policies for improvement. The plan was accepted by the government and was transformed into a

White Paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white pape ...

which became known as the ''First Programme for Economic Expansion'', and quite unusually this was published with his name attached in November 1958. The programme which became known as the "Grey Book" brought the stimulus of foreign investment into the Irish economy. Before devoting himself to poetry,

Thomas Kinsella Thomas Kinsella (4 May 192822 December 2021) was an Irish poet, translator, editor, and publisher. Born outside Dublin, Kinsella attended University College Dublin before entering the civil service. He began publishing poetry in the early 1950s ...

was Whitaker's private secretary. In 1977,

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...

Jack Lynch nominated Whitaker as a member of the

14th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 14th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1977, after the 1977 general election and served until the close of poll for ...

. He served as a Senator from 1977–81, where he sat as an independent (i.e. non-party) member. In 1981, he was nominated to the

15th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 15th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1981, after the 1981 general election and served until the close of poll for ...

by Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, where he served until 1982. FitzGerald also appointed him to chair a Committee of Inquiry into the Irish penal system, and he chaired a Parole Board or Sentence Review Group for several years. Whitaker also served as Chancellor of the National University of Ireland from 1976 to 1996. He was also President of the Royal Irish Academy and as such, a member of the Board of Governors and Guardians of the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland ( ga, Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on ...

, from 1985 to 1987. He had had a very strong love for the Irish language throughout his career and the collection of Irish poetry, ''An Duanaire: Poems of the Dispossessed 1600–1900'', edited by Seán Ó Tuama and

was dedicated to Whitaker. From 1995–96 he chaired th
Constitution Review Group
an independent expert group established by the government, which published its report in July 1996.

Awards and recognition

Whitaker received many national and international honours and tributes for his achievements during his lifetime, most notably the conferral of "Irishman of the 20th Century" in 2001 and Greatest Living Irish Person in 2002. In November 2014, the Institute of Banking conferred an Honorary Fellowship on Whitaker and created an annual T.K. Whitaker Scholarship in his name. In April 2015, he was presented with a lifetime achievement award by

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

's Economics Society for his outstanding contribution to Ireland's economic policy. In November 2016, to mark his centenary year, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council acknowledged Whitaker's "outstanding and progressive contribution to Irish public service and to society". The Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown, Cormac Devlin, presented a special award to Whitaker which was accepted by Ken Whitaker on behalf of his father.

Whitaker Square

Whitaker Square in the

Grand Canal Dock Grand Canal Dock () is a Southside area near the city centre of Dublin, Ireland. It is located on the border of eastern Dublin 2 and the westernmost part of Ringsend in Dublin 4, surrounding the Grand Canal Docks, an enclosed harbour where the ...

area of Dublin 2 is named in his honour. The offices of the

Economic and Social Research Institute The Economic and Social Research Institute is an Irish research institute founded in 1960 to provide evidence-based research used to inform public policy debate and decision-making. The research of the institute focuses on the areas of sustaina ...

are located on the square.

Personal life

Whitaker married Nora Fogarty in 1941; they had six children. After his wife's death in 1994, he remarried, to Mary Moore in 2005. The couple were invited to

Áras an Uachtaráin (; "Residence of the President"), formerly the Viceregal Lodge, is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of Ireland. It is located off Chesterfield Avenue in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The building design was credite ...

in 2006 for his 90th birthday by the

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...

. Mary Moore Whitaker died in 2008. T.K. Whitaker turned 100 in December 2016 and died a month later on 9 January 2017, having survived both of his wives. Whitaker and his family spoke Irish at home. The family spent a good deal of time in the North Mayo Gaeltacht after buying and renovating a former schoolhouse in Glencullen Lower, near Bangor Erris, in 1972. Whitaker was also a keen salmon angler in the nearby Carrowmore Lake and Owenmore.https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/ken-made-his-work-accessible-to-us-all-35368469.html

References

*
Scholarship Board, photo and short profiles
oreillyfoundation.ie; accessed 11 January 2017. *,

TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known ...

, 2006

Footnotes

External links

''T.K. Whitaker: Portrait of a Patriot'' (biography by Anne Chambers)
graceomalley.com; accessed 11 January 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Thomas Kenneth 1916 births 2017 deaths Alumni of the University of London 20th-century Irish economists Irish civil servants People from Rostrevor O'Reilly Foundation Members of the 14th Seanad Members of the 15th Seanad Presidential appointees to the Council of State (Ireland) Members of the Royal Irish Academy Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland Irish centenarians Men centenarians Governors of the Central Bank of Ireland Nominated members of Seanad Éireann Independent members of Seanad Éireann Chancellors of the National University of Ireland