HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Thomas Francis O'Higgins (23 July 1916 – 25 February 2003) was an Irish
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...
politician, barrister and judge who served as
Chief Justice of Ireland The chief justice of Ireland () is the president of the Supreme Court of Ireland. The chief justice is the highest judicial office and the most senior judge in the Republic of Ireland. The role includes several constitutional and administrativ ...
and a Judge of the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
from 1974 to 1985, a Judge of the
European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially the Court of Justice (), is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is tasked with interpreting ...
from 1985 to 1991, a Judge of the High Court from 1973 to 1974, Deputy leader of Fine Gael from 1972 to 1977 and
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...
from 1954 to 1957. He also served as a
Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...
(TD) from 1948 to 1969. Part of a new generation of Fine Gael leaders who emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, O'Higgins worked alongside Declan Costello and
Garret FitzGerald Garret Desmond FitzGerald (9 February 192619 May 2011) was an Irish Fine Gael politician, economist, and barrister who served twice as Taoiseach, serving from 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1987. He served as Leader of Fine Gael from 1977 to 1987 an ...
to liberalise the conservative Fine Gael. In the late 1960s, and early 1970s, O'Higgins twice contested the presidency of Ireland for his party; in his first attempt in 1966, he lost by 1% of the vote against incumbent President
Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...
. In the aftermath, his image was greatly enhanced and he was catapulted into the position of deputy leader of Fine Gael. Despite being the initial favourite to win, O'Higgins lost the 1973 Irish presidential election to Erskine H. Childers. In 1973, O'Higgins became a High Court judge and the following year was named
Chief Justice of Ireland The chief justice of Ireland () is the president of the Supreme Court of Ireland. The chief justice is the highest judicial office and the most senior judge in the Republic of Ireland. The role includes several constitutional and administrativ ...
and a
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
judge. Although a liberal politician, O'Higgins was considered by many a conservative judge, given his rulings on matters such as
contraceptives Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
and
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
. In 1985, O'Higgins became a member of the
European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially the Court of Justice (), is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is tasked with interpreting ...
following his nomination by
Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Garret FitzGerald and his government. He served on the court in
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
until his retirement in 1991.


Early life and education

O'Higgins was born in
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
in 1916, and came from an influential Irish political family: his father was Thomas F. O'Higgins and his uncle was
Kevin O'Higgins Kevin Christopher O'Higgins (; 7 June 1892 – 10 July 1927) was an Irish politician who served as Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister for Justice from 1922 to 1927, Minister for External Affairs from June 1927 to July 1927 a ...
. Both had been ministers during their political careers and were highly influential on the
Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal (; ) was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. It was named after the original Cumann na nGaedheal organisation which merged with the Dungannon Clubs and the National Co ...
political party which governed Ireland immediately upon independence from the United Kingdom. In 1923, Dr Thomas Higgins (Tom's grandfather) was killed by members of the
Anti-Treaty IRA The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty (), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain an ...
during a raid and in 1927, Kevin O'Higgins was assassinated by
Irish republicans Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously elective and militant and has been both w ...
in a revenge killing; Kevin O'Higgins had been the Minister for Justice during the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...
who signed the death warrants of 77 members of the IRA. As a result of these murders, TF O'Higgins (Tom's father) was radicalised and would become a member of the
Blueshirts The Army Comrades Association (ACA), later the National Guard, Young Ireland and finally League of Youth, known by the nickname the Blueshirts (), was a paramilitary organisation in the Irish Free State, founded in 1932.New Irish Army Arises, Ne ...
, a radical right-wing paramilitary explicitly opposed to the IRA which eventually merged into
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...
, the political successor of Cumann na nGaedheal. Despite this background, O'Higgins never embraced bitterness or anti-republicanism, and instead espoused a forward-looking politics which sought to advance Irish politics beyond the wounds of the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...
. Nonetheless, he would always defend his father's membership of the Blueshirts as a requirement for upholding free speech and democracy in Ireland. O'Higgins was educated at St Mary's College, Dublin,
Clongowes Wood College Clongowes Wood College SJ is a Catholic voluntary boarding school for boys near Clane, County Kildare, Ireland, founded by the Jesuits in 1814. It features prominently in James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel '' A Portrait of the Artist ...
and
University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...
, where he became auditor of the Literary and Historical Society. He later attended
King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns () is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environments. The Benchers of King's Inns aw ...
. In 1938, he qualified as a barrister and was called to the Bar. In 1954, he was called to the Inner Bar.


Political career

O'Higgins's political career began during the
1943 Irish general election The 1943 Irish general election to the 11th Dáil was held on Wednesday, 23 June, having been called on 31 May by proclamation of President of Ireland, President Douglas Hyde on the advice of Taoiseach Éamon de Valera. It took place in Dáil co ...
when he unsuccessfully stood on behalf of Fine Gael in the Dublin City South constituency. O'Higgins did not stand in the snap general election of 1944, instead choosing to campaign on behalf of his father. However, at this time he founded the "Central Branch" of Fine Gael which gathered younger members of the party together. Additionally, O'Higgins also began to write for the policy review magazine ''The Forum''. O'Higgins first's successful campaign saw him securing the Leix–Offaly constituency at the 1948 general election, an area once previously represented by his father. On the same day his brother, Michael O'Higgins, was also elected a TD. In 1950, O'Higgins was one of eight members of the
Oireachtas The Oireachtas ( ; ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...
chosen to represent Ireland on the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
; it was the start of a lifetime interest in European politics.


Minister for Health

In the
Second Inter-Party Government The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
(1954–57), O'Higgins was appointed
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...
. He inherited a department mired by the aftermath of the failed Mother and Child Scheme and was now tasked with implementing the 1953 Health Act, which had been introduced by Fianna Fáil. Doing so required O'Higgins to carefully manage both the Irish Medical Association and Fine Gael's coalition partners the Labour Party. During his period as Minister for Health, he introduced the Voluntary Health Insurance Board (VHI), which brought state-controlled health insurance to Ireland.


Ideological reformer

In 1956, O'Higgins began to advocate internally in Fine Gael that the party needed to move away from the
fiscal conservatism In American political theory, fiscal conservatism or economic conservatism is a political and economic philosophy regarding fiscal policy and fiscal responsibility with an ideological basis in capitalism, individualism, limited government, ...
of the minister for finance, Gerard Sweetman, and managed to secure significant initial support. However, his plans were scuppered by the
Suez crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...
which began in October 1956 and caused economic slumps around the world. His manoeuvring was further damaged when
Clann na Poblachta Clann na Poblachta (; "Family/Children of the Republic") was an Irish republican Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed var ...
left the government coalition. Nonetheless, in the years afterwards, O'Higgins began closely working with fellow second-generation Fine Gael members
Garret FitzGerald Garret Desmond FitzGerald (9 February 192619 May 2011) was an Irish Fine Gael politician, economist, and barrister who served twice as Taoiseach, serving from 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1987. He served as Leader of Fine Gael from 1977 to 1987 an ...
and Declan Costello to shift Fine Gael ideologically leftwards. The culmination of this was Costello producing a document entitled ''Towards a Just Society'' which advocated that Fine Gael adopt
social democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...
policies. Fine Gael adopted the document as the basis for their election manifesto for the
1965 Irish general election The 1965 Irish general election to the 18th Dáil was held on Wednesday, 7 April, following the Dissolution of Parliament, dissolution of the 17th Dáil on 18 March by President of Ireland, President Éamon de Valera on the request of Taoiseach ...
. O'Higgins supported this move; additionally, O'Higgins attempted to win over fellow party members to this move. He also attempted to build bridges with members of the Labour Party. When
Liam Cosgrave Liam Cosgrave (13 April 1920 – 4 October 2017) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1973 to 1977, Leader of Fine Gael from 1965 to 1977, Leader of the Opposition from 1965 to 1973, Minister for External Affairs fro ...
succeeded James Dillon as leader of Fine Gael in April 1965, O'Higgins was promoted to party spokesman on finance and economic affairs, replacing the conservative Sweetman. Although the left-wing of the party was not in control of the party, O'Higgins move up the ranks represented that their influence was growing.


Presidential candidate


1966 presidential election

In 1966, Ireland was due to hold a presidential election. The election was due to be one of significance, as 1966 marked the 50th anniversary of the
Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...
of 1916. The incumbent, an ageing
Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...
, himself a veteran of the Easter Rising, was initially widely expected to either win easily or, more probably, stand unopposed. O'Higgins, however, was not content with this and attempted to rally Fine Gael to support the Irish republican
Seán MacBride Seán MacBride (26 January 1904 – 15 January 1988) was an Irish Republican activist, politician, and diplomat who served as Minister for External Affairs from 1948 to 1951, Leader of Clann na Poblachta from 1946 to 1965 and Chief of Staff o ...
in a presidential bid. Predictably, this idea did not gain much traction, particularly with the more conservative elements of Fine Gael. However, O'Higgins did not give up on the idea that de Valera should be challenged. His next venture was to petition former Taoiseach and Fine Gael stalwart John A. Costello to stand in the election. O'Higgins, however, was not able to convince Costello, who was now nearing the end of his political career, to run. Having campaigned so hard on the idea that someone must challenge de Valera, eventually party members turned the question back on O'Higgins and suggested he run. He eventually agreed. O'Higgins' campaign was met with immediate difficulty when, at the outset, de Valera declared that he would not conduct a campaign himself, believing that the office of President should be above party politics. In response,
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
decided it could not (or would not), cover O'Higgins campaigning as this would be unbalanced in their view. Fine Gael leader Liam Cosgrove responded by arguing that this was unjust, as although de Valera was not formally campaigning, he regularly appeared on RTÉ radio and television in his capacity as president. RTÉ, however, did not change its position. O'Higgins carried out a grassroots campaign that saw him attend over 130 public meetings across the Republic of Ireland, covering an estimated 22,000 miles around the country over 5 weeks, reportedly attending as many as 3 rallies a night. O'Higgins' campaign manager was his erstwhile political rival Gerald Sweetman, who despite their differences, helped O'Higgins construct a modern strategy. Fine Gael presented O'Higgins and his wife Terry as Irish analogues of
John Fitzgerald Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
and his wife
Jackie Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...
, emphasising their comparative youth to the elderly de Valera. Campaign ads for O'Higgins prominently featured images of O'Higgins surrounded by Terry and their 7 children in shots designed to evoke the spirit of Camelot that had earned the Kennedys much popularity earlier in the decade. The general thrust of the O'Higgins campaign was that O'Higgins represented the future in contrast to the nostalgia of de Valera. Sweetman described the O'Higgins campaign as expressing "the need for a youthful, forward looking president to personify the real Ireland and what it can best contribute to modern civilisation". An example of the O'Higgins attempting to emulate modern American politics could be seen on 28 May 1966, when a small light aircraft dropped ballons with Fine Gael slogans on them down onto the city of Limerick during an O'Higgins motorcade procession. Observing these new tactics, the journalist John Healy of
the Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
observed "The Fine Gael tail is up. It is running as it has not run for a long time. It will be an interesting finish indeed". Polling was not yet a feature of Irish politics in 1966; instead parties still generally relied on their constituency branches to provide a sense of grassroots sentiment. When Fianna Fáil received feedback from their branches about the O'Higgins campaign, they became highly concerned. Although de Valera remained officially committed to not campaigning, he began to make several public appearances on the pretence of commemorating 1916. De Valera's campaign manager was then Minister for Agriculture and future leader of Fianna Fáil
Charles Haughey Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who led four governments as Taoiseach: December 1979 to June 1981, March to December 1982, March 1987 to June 1989, and June 1989 to February 1992 ...
. Responding to the momentum of the O'Higgins campaign, Haughey announced £5.5 million in spending targeted at farmers just five days before voting began. The results of the election were agonisingly close; by a margin of just 10,718 votes (1% of the total vote), de Valera managed to etch out a victory. Years later, O'Higgins would remark in his autobiography that he felt he had conducted himself well in the race and was glad he was able to maintain his dignity and that of his family. Paraphrasing the Duke of Wellington's remarks about the battle of Waterloo, O'Higgins described the race as "a close run thing". , the result of the 1966 contest remains the tightest margin of any Irish presidential election.


Deputy leader of Fine Gael

Although not victorious in the 1966 election, O'Higgins' image had been greatly enhanced by the contest; at the
1969 Irish general election The 1969 Irish general election to the 19th Dáil was held on Wednesday, 18 June, following the Dissolution of Parliament, dissolution of the 18th Dáil on 22 May by President of Ireland, President Éamon de Valera on the request of Taoiseach Ja ...
O'Higgins moved from the Laois-Offaly constituency to the newly created Dublin County South, where he topped the poll. In April 1972, O'Higgins was named the first-ever deputy leader of Fine Gael. In this role, O'Higgins was looked at by some in Fine Gael as an intermediary between the liberal and conservative wings of the party. As deputy leader, O'Higgins made several trips to Northern Ireland in the face of the emerging Troubles and was one of the Fine Gael representatives at the funerals of those killed on Bloody Sunday in 1972. Anticipating running for president again in May 1973, O'Higgins did not contest the earlier
1973 Irish general election The 1973 Irish general election to the 20th Dáil was held on Wednesday, 28 February 1973, following the dissolution of the 19th Dáil on 5 February by President Éamon de Valera on the request of Taoiseach Jack Lynch. The general election t ...
that February. In the aftermath of the general election, his diplomatic skills were once again called upon, as he looked to as a broker between Fine Gael and the Labour Party as they attempted to form a governing coalition, which was ultimately successful.


1973 presidential election

In 1973, O'Higgins was again chosen once again as the Fine Gael candidate in the
presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...
. This time he faced former Fianna Fáil
Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...
and Minister, Erskine H. Childers. Childers was elected by 52% to 48%.


Judicial career

Shortly afterwards O'Higgins was appointed a Judge of the High Court. In 1974, after the sudden death of Chief Justice William FitzGerald, O'Higgins, although the most junior High Court judge, was chosen to replace him as
Chief Justice of Ireland The chief justice of Ireland () is the president of the Supreme Court of Ireland. The chief justice is the highest judicial office and the most senior judge in the Republic of Ireland. The role includes several constitutional and administrativ ...
in the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
and a judge of the Supreme Court. After the sudden death of Erskine H. Childers, O'Higgins, in his role as Chief Justice swore in
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh (; 12 February 1911 – 21 March 1978) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician, judge and barrister who served as the president of Ireland from December 1974 to October 1976. His birth name was registered in English as ' ...
as
President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...
. He was Chief Justice until 1985 when he was appointed a Judge of the
European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially the Court of Justice (), is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is tasked with interpreting ...
. He remained there until 1991. O'Higgins died on 25 February 2003, at the age of 86.


See also

* List of members of the European Court of Justice * Families in the Oireachtas * Norris v. Attorney General *
Marleasing SA v La Comercial Internacional de Alimentacion SA ''Marleasing SA v La Comercial Internacional de Alimentación SA'' (1990C-106/89was a decision of the European Court of Justice concerning the indirect effect of European Community law, now European Union law. It established that the courts of Eur ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohiggins, Tom 1916 births 2003 deaths Fine Gael TDs Members of the 13th Dáil Members of the 14th Dáil Members of the 15th Dáil Members of the 16th Dáil Members of the 17th Dáil Members of the 18th Dáil Members of the 19th Dáil Politicians from County Cork European Court of Justice judges Chief justices of Ireland Candidates for President of Ireland Alumni of University College Dublin Ministers for health of Ireland High Court judges (Ireland) People educated at Clongowes Wood College Irish judges of international courts and tribunals Alumni of King's Inns People educated at St Mary's College, Dublin Lawyers from Cork (city)