Sean Thomas O'Kelly was an eminent political leader who was elected as the the second President of Ireland between 1945 to 1959. During his political career he held some eminent positions like Vice-President of the Executive Council (1932 - 1937), the Minister for Local Government (1932-1939) and Minister for Finance (1939-1945). He regularly contributed to various Irish and American newspapers and wrote on subjects related to Irish politics.
Early Life of Sean Thomas O'Kelly
Sean Thomas O'Kelly was born on 25th August 1882 in Dublin. He attended the Richmond Street Irish Christian Brothers School which was very close to his house at Capel Street in north Dublin. In 1898, he joined the National Library of Ireland where he worked as a junior assistant. In the same year, he joined the Gaelic League and actively participated in the political scenario of Ireland. In 1910, he was declared as a member of the governing body and in 1915 as the General Secretary.
Sean Thomas O'Kelly married Mary Kate in 1918. He again married Phyllis in 1936 after the death of his first wife in 1934.
Political Career of Sean Thomas O'Kelly
O'Kelly started his political career in 1905. During this period he joined Sinn Féin, which was a small dual-monarchist and capitalist party. He was appointed as the honorary secretary of the movement from 1908 to 1925. He was elected to Dublin Corporation in 1906 and held his position until 1924.
In the Easter Rising of 1916, Sean T. O'Kelly played a significant role. After the revolution he was imprisoned, released, and again arrested. He escaped from UK and fled to Ireland.
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In the British general election of 1918, Sean T. O'Kelly was elected the Sinn Féin Member of Parliament (MP) for Dublin College Green. Along with the other MPs of Sinn Féin he declined to be a part of the British House of Commons. These MPs set up an Irish parliament and called it Dáil Éireann, in Dublin. O'Kelly was declared as the speaker of the First Dáil.
O'Kelly was very close to Éamon de Valera, who served variously as the prime minister from April 1919 to August 1921 and then the President of the Republic from August 1921 to January 1922. As an associate of Éamon de Valera, he opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The treaty was signed in December 1921 by the representatives of the British and Irish Republic's governments.
De Valera left Sinn Féin in 1926 to form his own republican party, Fianna Fáil. O'Kelly also left along with him and became one of the founding members of the party. De Valera won the general election in 1932, and was appointed as the prime minister of the Irish Free State and O'Kelly was made the Minister for Local Government. Later in 1939, O'Kelly was appointed as the Minister of Finance and he passed The Central Bank Act in 1942.
Sean Thomas O'Kelly as the President of Ireland
In 1945, Sean T. was elected President of Ireland by a popular vote of the people. He was elected as the President of Ireland for the second time in 1952. After the end of his second term in 1959, he retired from the post of President and was replaced by Eamon de Valera, his old mentor. The Irish Times newspaper described him as the 'model president' after his retirement.
At the age of 84, this legendary figure died on November 23, 1966. One can pay homage to this great leader at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
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