Gerald Boland

Gerald Boland
Boland in 1933
Minister for Justice
In office 13 June 1951 – 2 June 1954
Taoiseach	Éamon de Valera
Preceded by	Daniel Morrissey
Succeeded by	James Everett
In office 8 September 1939 – 18 February 1948
Taoiseach	Éamon de Valera
Preceded by	P. J. Ruttledge
Succeeded by	Seán Mac Eoin
Minister for Lands
In office 11 November 1936 – 8 September 1939
Taoiseach	Éamon de Valera
Preceded by	Frank Aiken
Succeeded by	Thomas Derrig
Minister for Posts and Telegraphs
In office 8 February 1933 – 11 November 1936
President	Éamon de Valera
Preceded by	Joseph Connolly
Succeeded by	Oscar Traynor
Parliamentary Secretary
1932–1933	Government Chief Whip
Senator
In office 23 June 1965 – 5 November 1969
Constituency	Nominated by the Taoiseach
In office 14 December 1961 – 23 June 1965
Constituency	Industrial and Commercial Panel
Teachta Dála
In office August 1923 – October 1961
Constituency	Roscommon
Personal details
Born	(1885-05-25)25 May 1885 Manchester, England
Died	5 January 1973(1973-01-05) (aged 87) Dublin, Ireland
Resting place	Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin
Nationality	Irish
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Annie Keating ​ ​ (m. 1920; died 1970)​
Children	7, including Kevin and Harry
Parent	James Boland (father)
Relatives	Harry Boland (brother)
Education	O'Brien Institute
Military service
Allegiance	Irish Republican Brotherhood Irish Volunteers
Years of service	1913–1922
Battles/wars	Easter Rising Irish War of Independence

Gerald Boland (25 May 1885 – 5 January 1973)^[1] was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Justice from 1939 to 1948 and 1951 to 1954, Minister for Lands from 1936 to 1939, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1933 to 1936 and Government Chief Whip from 1932 to 1933. He served as a Senator from 1961 to 1969 and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Roscommon constituency from 1923 to 1961.^[2]

Boland was active during the Irish revolutionary period, fighting in both the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War, the latter of which saw the death of his brother Harry Boland. Following the wars, Boland was amongst those who lead Republicans out of Sinn Féin and into Fianna Fáil following a split over abstentionism. When Fianna Fáil came to power in 1932, Boland became a perennial member of the cabinet, most notably as Ireland's longest-serving Minister for Justice. Despite being socially liberal in his own views and a committed Irish republican, as Minister for Justice he was frequently asked by the government to enforce hardline policies against Irish citizens in order to prevent the Irish Republican Army from drawing the Irish state into World War II.^[3]