Mary Robinson Foundation
| Mary Robinson | |
|---|---|
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| 7th President of Ireland | |
|
In office 3 December 1990 – 12 September 1997 |
|
| Taoiseach |
Charles Haughey Albert Reynolds John Bruton Bertie Ahern |
| Preceded by | Patrick Hillery |
| Succeeded by | Mary McAleese |
| United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights | |
|
In office 12 September 1997 – 12 September 2002 |
|
| Secretary-General | Kofi Annan |
| Preceded by | José Ayala Lasso |
| Succeeded by | Sérgio Vieira de Mello |
| Senator | |
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In office 5 November 1969 – 5 July 1989 |
|
| Constituency | University of Dublin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mary Therese Winifred Bourke 21 May 1944 Ballina, Mayo, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party |
Independent (Before 1977, 1981–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Labour Party (1977–1981) |
| Spouse(s) | Nicholas Robinson (m. 1970) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
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| Alma mater | |
| Profession | |
| Signature |  |
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson (née Bourke; Irish: Máire Bean Mhic Róibín; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish Independent politican who served as the 7th, and first female, President of Ireland from December 1990 to September 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate (1969–1989). She defeated Fianna Fáil's Brian Lenihan and Fine Gael's Austin Currie in the 1990 presidential election becoming–as an Independent candidate nominated by the Labour Party, the Workers' Party and independent senators–the first elected president in the office's history not to have had the support of Fianna Fáil.
She is widely regarded as a transformative figure for Ireland, and for the Irish presidency, revitalising and liberalising a previously conservative, low-profile political office. She resigned the presidency two months ahead of the end of her term of office to take up her post in the United Nations. During her UN tenure she visited Tibet (1998), the first High Commissioner to do so; she criticised Ireland's immigrant policy; and criticised the use of capital punishment in the United States. She extended her intended single four-year term by a year to preside over the World Conference against Racism 2001 in Durban, South Africa; the conference proved controversial, and under continuing pressure from the US, Robinson resigned her post in September 2002.
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