James Dillon (Fine Gael politician)
| James Dillon | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Opposition | |
|
In office 21 October 1959 – 21 April 1965 |
|
| President | Éamon de Valera |
| Taoiseach | Éamon de Valera Seán Lemass |
| Preceded by | John A. Costello |
| Succeeded by | Liam Cosgrave |
| Leader of the Fine Gael Party | |
|
In office 21 March 1959 – 21 April 1965 |
|
| Preceded by | Richard Mulcahy |
| Succeeded by | Liam Cosgrave |
| Minister for Agriculture | |
|
In office 2 June 1954 – 20 March 1957 |
|
| Taoiseach | John A. Costello |
| Preceded by | Thomas Walsh |
| Succeeded by | Frank Aiken |
|
In office 18 February 1948 – 13 June 1951 |
|
| Taoiseach | John A. Costello |
| Preceded by | Patrick Smith |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Walsh |
| Teachta Dála | |
|
In office 1 July 1937 – 18 June 1969 |
|
| Constituency | Monaghan |
| Teachta Dála | |
|
In office 16 February 1932 – 1 July 1937 |
|
| Constituency | Donegal |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Matthew Dillon 26 September 1902 Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 10 February 1986 (aged 83) Malahide, Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Fine Gael |
| Other political affiliations |
Independent (until 1932) National Centre Party (1932-1933) |
| Spouse(s) | Rita Downy |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
James Matthew Dillon (26 September 1902 – 10 February 1986) was an Irish politician and leader of Fine Gael from 1959 to 1965. He was the son of John Dillon, the last leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party (1918), which had been swept away by Sinn Féin at the 1918 general election.
Dillon was born in Dublin. He was educated at Mount St Benedict's, in Gorey, County Wexford, University College Galway and King's Inns. He qualified as a barrister and was called to the Bar in 1931. Dillon studied business methods at Selfridges in London. After some time at Marshall Field's in Chicago he returned to Ireland where he became manager of the family business known as Monica Duff's in Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon.
Between 1932 and 1937 Dillon served as Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency for the National Centre Party and after its merger with Cumann na nGaedheal, for the new party of Fine Gael. Dillon played a key role in instigating the creation of Fine Gael and would become a key member of the party in later years. He remained as TD for Monaghan from 1937 to 1969. Dillon became deputy leader of Fine Gael under W. T. Cosgrave. He resigned from Fine Gael in 1942 over its stance on Irish neutrality during World War II, when he urged the government to abandon neutrality and side with the Allies. He was the only TD to do so. In the first inter-party government (1948–1951) Dillon was appointed Minister for Agriculture as an Independent TD. As Minister, Dillon was responsible for huge improvements in Irish agriculture. Money was spent on land reclamation projects in the areas of less fertile land while the overall quality of Irish agricultural produce increased.
...
Wikipedia