Patrick (John) Hillery - Early life, European Commissioner 1973-1976, President of Ireland

Irish statesman and president (1976–90), born in Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, W Ireland. He studied at Dublin. Following his election as an MP (1951), he held ministerial posts in education (1959–65), industry and commerce (1965–6), and labour (1966–9), then became foreign minister (1969–72). Before becoming president, he served as European Commissioner for social affairs (1973–6).

born 2 May 1923) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and the sixth President of Ireland from 1976 until 1990. Ó Ceallaigh, of serving two full terms as President of Ireland, and is the only President who never faced an election.

Early life

Patrick John Hillery, commonly referred to as Paddy Hillery, was born in Spanish Point, County Clare in the then Irish Free State, now the Republic of Ireland in 1923. The election resulted in a return to power for Fianna Fáil and Hillery was successful on his first attempt to get elected. Hillery remained on the backbenches until 1959 when de Valera retired as Taoiseach to become President of Ireland. Key among this new breed of politician was Hillery who became Minister for Education in 1959, succeeding Jack Lynch in that post.

As Minister for Education Hillery was responsible for much innovative thinking in a Department which would become very important under Lemass's leadership. In 1963 Hillery made a major policy speech in which he outlined many of the educational reforms that were to be introduced over the next decade. As Minister for Education, Hillery laid the groundwork for other Ministers to advance the reforms and initiatives he had begun. Hillery only remained in this position for just over a year, becoming the country's first Minister for Labour in 1966. This new Department had been a dream of Lemass's for several years and Hillery had the honour of taking over. Hillery was invited by Lemass to allow his name go forward for the leadership of the party, however, he declined explaining that he had no interest. Many historians have suggested that Hillery was Lemass's first choice to succeed him, however others have said that the Lemass pecking order went as follows: Jack Lynch, Hillery and George Colley. Hillery retained his post as Minister for Labour following Lynch's reshuffle of the Cabinet, serving until 1969.

Following yet another victory for Fianna Fáilat the 1969 General Election, Hillery became Minister for External Affairs (renamed Foreign Affairs in 1972), one of the most prestigious of cabinet posts. During the whole period Hillery remained one of Jack Lynch's staunchest allies in pursuing peaceful means with regard to the possibility of a civil war breaking out. Hillery's tenure at the Department of Foreign Affairs wasn't consumed by affairs in Northern Ireland.

European Commissioner 1973-1976

Following Ireland's entry into Europe Hillery was appointed the country's first European Commissioner in Brussels, taking over the Social Affairs portfolio. While Europe had gained one of Ireland's most capable and respected politicians, Jack Lynch had lost one of his allies, and someone who may have been in line to take over the leadership following Lynch's retirement. As Social Affairs Commissioner Hillery's most famous policy initiative was to force EEC member states to give equal pay to women. When a furious President Ó Dálaigh resigned, a deeply reluctant Hillery agreed to become the Fianna Fáil candidate for the presidency. He was elected without a contest as the only candidate, becoming President of Ireland on 3 December 1976.

President of Ireland

The 'Sex Scandal' and the Papal Visit

Though once voted the world's sexiest head of state by readers of the German Der Spiegel magazine, few expected Hillery to become embroiled in a sex scandal as president. It occurred in September 1979, when the international press corps, travelling to Ireland for the visit of Pope John Paul II, told their Irish colleagues that Europe was "awash" with rumours that Hillery had a mistress living with him in Áras an Uachtaráin (the presidential palace), that he and his wife were divorcing and he was resigning the presidency. Once the Pope had left, Hillery told a shocked nation that there was no mistress, no divorce and no resignation. Hillery however defended his action by saying that it was important to kill off the story for the good of the presidency, rather than allow the rumour to circulate and be accepted as 'fact' in the absence of a denial. Some senior politicians blamed Britain's MI5 or MI6, suspecting that the story was intended to embarrass Ireland during the papal visit, as revenge for the assassination by the IRA of Earl Mountbatten of Burma (Queen Elizabeth II's husband's uncle) in Ireland in August 1979. According to Sunday Independent journalist Raymond Smith, pressures were being put on Hillery to leave the presidency, re-enter active politics and become the Lynch wing of Fianna Fáil's challenger to Haughey in the forthcoming leadership battle. According to Smith, the rumours were spread to kill off that chance by damaging Hillery's leadership image as 'Mr. Clean'. However Smith's theory fails to take into account practicalities regarding the workings of the constitution (e.g., Hillery could only challenge to become leader and so taoiseach by first winning a seat in Dáil Éireann. Furthermore, having taken on the presidency to give it stability after the death of President Childers and the resignation of President Ó Dálaigh, it would be totally out of character for Hillery to throw of the office back into turmoil by becoming the second president in a row to resign and the third in a row (out of six presidents) not to complete their term of office). In other words, were Hillery to be forced through scandal to resign, the public would demand that Lynch, Ireland's most popular and loved politician (albeit leader of an unpopular government) take on the office. Having declined the office in 1973, 1974 and 1976, the feeling was that only another presidential crisis could force Lynch reluctantly1 to take on the presidency. While senior opposition figures did privately blame British intelligence, senior government figures and people close to Hillery were convinced that the smear was directly related to the leadership ambitions of senior Fianna Fáil figures.

Hillery also hit the headlines when, on the advice of then taoiseach, Charles J.

Phone Calls to the Áras: The Lenihan Tape Claim

However it was in 1982 that Hillery's reputation as president was arguably made. FitzGerald travelled to Áras an Uachtaráin to ask for a parliamentary dissolution, something which under Article 13.2.2.2 of Bunreacht na hÉireann President Hillery could have refused, forcing FitzGerald's resignation. However a series of phone calls (some published reports claim seven, others eight) was made by senior opposition figures urging Hillery to refuse FitzGerald a dissolution, so allowing Haughey to form a government. Hillery regarded such pressure as gross misconduct, and granted the dissolution as expected. (No Irish president to date has ever refused one.)

By 1990, Hillery's term seemed to reaching a quiet end, until the events of 1982 returned, changing the course of the history of the presidency, Ireland and Hillery forever. In May 1990, in an "on the record" interview with Jim Duffy, an honours post-graduate student researching the Irish presidency, Lenihan had confirmed that he had been one of those phoning Hillery in January 1982. In October 1990, Lenihan changed his story, claiming (even though he had said the opposite for eight years) that he had played "no hand, act or part" in pressurising President Hillery that night. When Lenihan refused, Haughey formally advised President Hillery to dismiss Lenihan as Tánaiste, Minister for Defence and member of the cabinet, which the President as constitutionally required duly did. Instead Labour's Mary Robinson, who already had had a spectacularly successful campaign, became the seventh president of Ireland, the first elected president from a non Fianna Fáil background, and the first woman to hold the office.

The revelations, and the discovery that Hillery had stood up to pressure from former cabinet colleagues including his close friend Brian Lenihan back in 1982, increased Hillery's standing substantially. From a low-key modest presidency that many had written off as mediocre, his presidency came to be seen as embodying the highest standards of integrity. His reputation rose further when opposition leaders under parliamentary privilege alleged that Taoiseach Charles Haughey, who in January 1982 had been Leader of the Opposition, had not merely rang the President's Office but threatened to end the career of the army officer who took the call and who, on Hillery's explicit instructions, had refused to put through the call to the President. Hillery, it was revealed, had called in the Irish Army's Chief of Staff the following day and as Commander-in-Chief of the Army had ordered the Chief of Staff to ensure that no politician ever interfered with the career of the young army officer.

In 1983 Hillery was again elected unopposed sharing the distinction with Seán T. Hillery left office in 1990 (he had served the maximum two terms), widely applauded for his integrity, honesty and devotion to duty. The previous image of Hillery, as low key, dull and unexciting (except for the bizarre 'sex rumours'), had been somewhat undermined. Hillery retired from public life.

Hillery: A Foreign Assessment

In 2002, state papers released by the British Public Record Office under the 'Thirty Year Rule' 3 and published in the Irish media, revealed how Hillery was viewed. A briefing paper, prepared for then British Foreign Secretary, Sir Alec Douglas-Home and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland William Whitelaw, observed about Hillery:

Political career

Preceded by: Jack Lynch	Minister for Education 1959-1965	Succeeded by: George Colley
	Minister for Industry & Commerce 1965-1966
Preceded by: Newly created office	Minister for Labour 1966-1969	Succeeded by: Joseph Brennan
Preceded by: Frank Aiken	Minister for Foreign Affairs 1969-1973	Succeeded by: Brian Lenihan
Preceded by: New office due to Irish membership of the EEC	European Commissioner from Ireland 1973-1976	Succeeded by: Richard Burke
Preceded by: Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh	President of Ireland 1976-1990	Succeeded by: Mary Robinson