Patrick Hillery

Patrick Hillery
Hillery in 1986
6th President of Ireland
In office 3 December 1976 – 2 December 1990
Taoiseach	Liam Cosgrave Jack Lynch Charles Haughey Garret FitzGerald
Preceded by	Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
Succeeded by	Mary Robinson
Vice-President of the European Commission
In office 6 January 1973 – 5 January 1977
President	François-Xavier Ortoli
Preceded by	Wilhelm Haferkamp
Succeeded by	Wilhelm Haferkamp
European Commissioner for Social Affairs
In office 6 January 1973 – 2 December 1976
President	François-Xavier Ortoli
Preceded by	Albert Coppé
Succeeded by	Henk Vredeling
Minister for External Affairs
In office 2 July 1969 – 3 January 1973
Taoiseach	Jack Lynch
Preceded by	Frank Aiken
Succeeded by	Brian Lenihan
Minister for Labour
In office 13 July 1966 – 2 July 1969
Taoiseach	Seán Lemass Jack Lynch
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Joseph Brennan
Minister for Industry and Commerce
In office 21 April 1965 – 13 July 1966
Taoiseach	Seán Lemass
Preceded by	Jack Lynch
Succeeded by	George Colley
Minister for Education
In office 23 June 1959 – 21 April 1965
Taoiseach	Seán Lemass
Preceded by	Jack Lynch
Succeeded by	George Colley
Teachta Dála
In office May 1951 – 6 January 1973
Constituency	Clare
Personal details
Born	(1923-05-02)2 May 1923 Spanish Point, County Clare, Ireland
Died	12 April 2008(2008-04-12) (aged 84) Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland
Resting place	St. Fintan's Cemetery, Sutton
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Maeve Finnegan ​ (m. 1955)​
Children	2
Alma mater	University College Dublin Royal College of Surgeons
Profession	Medical doctor politician diplomat

Patrick John Hillery (Irish: Pádraig J. Ó hIrghile;^[1] 2 May 1923 – 12 April 2008) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the sixth President of Ireland from December 1976 to December 1990. He also served as Vice-President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Social Affairs from 1973 to 1976, Minister for External Affairs from 1969 to 1973, Minister for Labour from 1966 to 1969, Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1965 to 1969 and Minister for Education from 1959 to 1965. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Clare constituency from 1951 to 1973.^[2][3]

In 1973, he was appointed Ireland's first European Commissioner, upon Ireland's accession to the European Economic Community, serving until 1976, when he became President of Ireland. He served two terms in the presidency. Though seen as a somewhat lacklustre president, he was credited with bringing stability and dignity to the office, and won widespread admiration when it emerged that he had withstood political pressure from his own Fianna Fáil party during a political crisis in 1982.