Liam Cosgrave
| Liam Cosgrave | |
|---|---|
Taoiseach Cosgrave in the Oval Office on St. Patrick's Day 1976
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| Taoiseach | |
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In office 14 March 1973 – 5 July 1977 |
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| President |
Éamon de Valera Erskine H. Childers Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh Patrick Hillery |
| Tánaiste | Brendan Corish |
| Preceded by | Jack Lynch |
| Succeeded by | Jack Lynch |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
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In office 21 April 1965 – 14 March 1973 |
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| President | Éamon de Valera |
| Taoiseach |
Seán Lemass Jack Lynch |
| Preceded by | James Dillon |
| Succeeded by | Jack Lynch |
| Leader of the Fine Gael Party | |
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In office 21 April 1965 – 1 July 1977 |
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| Deputy | Tom O'Higgins |
| Preceded by | James Dillon |
| Succeeded by | Garret FitzGerald |
| Minister for External Affairs | |
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In office 2 June 1954 – 20 March 1957 |
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| Taoiseach | John A. Costello |
| Preceded by | Frank Aiken |
| Succeeded by | Frank Aiken |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce | |
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In office 18 February 1948 – 13 June 1951 |
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| Taoiseach | John A. Costello |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Government Chief Whip | |
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In office 18 February 1948 – 13 June 1951 |
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| Taoiseach | John A. Costello |
| Preceded by | Éamonn Kissane |
| Succeeded by | Donnchadh Ó Briain |
| Teachta Dála | |
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In office June 1977 – June 1981 |
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| Constituency | Dún Laoghaire |
| Teachta Dála | |
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In office February 1948 – June 1977 |
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| Constituency | Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown |
| Teachta Dála | |
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In office June 1943 – February 1948 |
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| Constituency | Dublin County |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Liam Cosgrave 13 April 1920 Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Fine Gael |
| Spouse(s) |
Vera Osborne (m. 1952–2016, her death) |
| Relations | W. T. Cosgrave (father) |
| Children |
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| Alma mater | King's Inns |
| Profession | Barrister |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Liam Cosgrave (born 13 April 1920) is a former Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach (1973–77) and as Leader of Fine Gael (1965–77). He was a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1943 to 1981.
Born in Castleknock, Dublin, Cosgrave was the son of W. T. Cosgrave, the first President of the Executive Council in the newly formed Irish Free State. After qualifying as a barrister he decided to embark on a political career. He was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1943 general election and sat in opposition alongside his father. The formation of the first inter-party government in 1948 saw Cosgrave become a Parliamentary Secretary to Taoiseach John A. Costello. He formally became a cabinet member in 1954 when he was appointed Minister for External Affairs. The highlight of his three-year tenure was Ireland's successful entry into the United Nations. In 1965 Cosgrave was the unanimous choice of his colleagues to succeed James Dillon as leader of Fine Gael. He lost the 1969 general election to the incumbent Jack Lynch, but won the 1973 general election and became Taoiseach in a Fine Gael-Labour Party government.
From an early age Liam Cosgrave displayed a keen interest in politics, discussing the topic with his father as a teenager before eventually joining Fine Gael at the age of 17, speaking at his first public meeting the same year. He was educated at Synge Street CBS,Castleknock College, Dublin, and King's Inns. He studied law and was called to the Irish bar in 1943. To the surprise of his family, Liam decided to seek election to Dáil Éireann in the 1943 general election and was elected as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin County at the age of 23, sitting in the 11th Dáil alongside his father W. T. Cosgrave who was one of the founders of the Irish Free State in the 1920s. Cosgrave rapidly rose through the ranks of Fine Gael, and was regarded as being by far the most able and active of Fine Gael's newer TDs. The party was, however, at an extremely low ebb in the 1940s spending many years in opposition. Cosgrave wrote to the Party Leader, Richard Mulcahy, in May 1947, on the poor attendance in the Dáil, and informed his leader that "I cannot any longer conscientiously ask the public to support the party as a party, and in the circumstances I do not propose to speak at meetings outside my constituency." Nevertheless, Cosgrave became the parliamentary secretary to the Taoiseach and Chief Whip when the party returned to power in 1948. Mulcahy, while remaining leader of Fine Gael, allowed John A Costello to become Taoiseach of the Inter Party Government as the latter had wider appeal and acceptance.
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