Seán T. O'Kelly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Seán T. O'Kelly
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O'Kelly in 1949
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| 2nd President of Ireland | |
| In office 25 June 1945 – 24 June 1959 |
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| Taoiseach | |
| Preceded by | Douglas Hyde |
| Succeeded by | Éamon de Valera |
| Tánaiste | |
| In office 29 December 1937 – 14 June 1945 |
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| Taoiseach | Éamon de Valera |
| Preceded by | Himself as Vice President of the Executive Council |
| Succeeded by | Seán Lemass |
| Minister for Finance | |
| In office 16 September 1939 – 14 June 1945 |
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| Taoiseach | Éamon de Valera |
| Preceded by | Seán MacEntee |
| Succeeded by | Frank Aiken |
| Minister for Local Government and Public Health | |
| In office 9 March 1932 – 8 September 1939 |
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| Taoiseach | Éamon de Valera |
| Preceded by | Richard Mulcahy |
| Succeeded by | P. J. Ruttledge |
| Vice-President of the Executive Council | |
| In office 9 March 1932 – 29 December 1937 |
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| President | Éamon de Valera |
| Preceded by | Ernest Blythe |
| Succeeded by | Himself as Tánaiste |
| Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann | |
| In office 22 January 1919 – 16 August 1921 |
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| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Count Plunkett |
| Succeeded by | Eoin MacNeill |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office July 1937 – 25 June 1945 |
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| Constituency | Dublin North-West |
| In office August 1923 – July 1937 |
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| Constituency | Dublin North |
| In office May 1921 – August 1923 |
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| Constituency | Dublin Mid |
| In office December 1918 – May 1921 |
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| Constituency | Dublin College Green |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Thomas O'Kelly
25 August 1882 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 23 November 1966 (aged 84) Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland |
| Resting place | Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland |
| Political party | Fianna Fáil |
| Spouses |
Mary Kate Ryan
(m. 1918; died 1934) |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Profession | |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Rank | Staff captain |
| Unit | Irish Volunteers |
| Battles/wars | Easter Rising |
Seán Thomas O'Kelly (Irish: Seán Tomás Ó Ceallaigh; 25 August 1882 – 23 November 1966), originally named John T. O'Kelly, was an important Irish politician. He was the second President of Ireland from June 1945 to June 1959.
Before becoming President, he served as deputy prime minister of Ireland from 1932 to 1945. This role was first called Vice-President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State and later Tánaiste. He was also a minister for local government and finance. From 1919 to 1921, he was the Ceann Comhairle (chairman) of Dáil Éireann, the Irish Parliament. He was a Teachta Dála (TD), which is a member of the Irish Parliament, from 1918 to 1945.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Seán T. O'Kelly was born in Dublin, Ireland, on August 25, 1882. He was the oldest son of Samuel O'Kelly, a shoemaker. He had three sisters and four brothers. Two of his brothers went to school at St Enda's School, founded by Patrick Pearse.
O'Kelly went to school at the Sisters of Charity and then the Christian Brothers School. His senior education was at O'Connell School from 1894 to 1898. In 1898, he started working at the National Library of Ireland.
He joined the Gaelic League in 1902. This group worked to promote the Irish language and culture. He became a key member and later the general secretary of the league. He also managed An Claidheamh Soluis, a newspaper that had revolutionary leaders as editors.
Getting Involved in Politics
O'Kelly quickly started working with Arthur Griffith, who was a leader in the Irish independence movement. He joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood in 1901. In 1905, he helped start Sinn Féin, which was a new political party. He became a joint-honorary secretary for Sinn Féin until 1925.
In 1906, O'Kelly was elected to the Dublin Corporation, which was the local government for Dublin. He worked to improve things like drainage in Dublin's poorer areas.
He was one of the first members of the Irish Volunteers in 1913. This group was formed to protect Ireland's right to self-government. In 1915, O'Kelly traveled to New York City to tell Irish-American groups about plans for a rebellion in Dublin. Patrick Pearse made O'Kelly his Staff Captain, preparing for the upcoming uprising.
The Easter Rising of 1916
During the Easter Rising in 1916, O'Kelly was very active. He was in and out of the GPO, which was a main center of the rebellion. He was asked to help set up a new "Civil Administrator of the Government of the Republic," but this plan did not happen.
After the Rising, O'Kelly was arrested and jailed. He was sent to Reading Gaol and later escaped from a prison in Britain. He returned to Ireland, where Sinn Féin became very popular.
The First Dáil Éireann
In the 1918 Irish general election, O'Kelly was elected as a Sinn Féin MP for Dublin College Green. However, he and other Sinn Féin MPs refused to go to the British Parliament in London. Instead, they created their own Irish Parliament in Dublin, called Dáil Éireann.
O'Kelly became the Ceann Comhairle (chairman) of the First Dáil. He helped publish the Democratic Programme, which outlined goals for an independent Ireland.
He also worked as an envoy for the Irish Republic. He tried to get US President Woodrow Wilson to visit Dublin and asked for Ireland to be recognized at the Paris Peace Conference after World War I. Later, he went to Italy and met with Pope Benedict XV to discuss the situation in Ireland.
Working with Éamon de Valera
O'Kelly was a close friend and supporter of Éamon de Valera, who was a key leader in the Irish independence movement. Like de Valera, O'Kelly was against the Anglo-Irish Treaty, an agreement signed in 1921 between Irish and British representatives.
When de Valera resigned as President of the Republic in 1922, O'Kelly tried to find a way for him to return to the role. During the Irish Civil War, O'Kelly was in jail until December 1923. After his release, he spent two years in the United States as an envoy for Sinn Féin.
Founding Fianna Fáil
In 1926, Éamon de Valera left Sinn Féin to start a new political party called Fianna Fáil. O'Kelly returned to Ireland and became a vice-president of this new party. He helped build support for Fianna Fáil before the June 1927 Irish general election.
In 1932, Fianna Fáil won the general election, and de Valera became the leader of the government. O'Kelly was appointed as the deputy prime minister, first called Vice-President of the Executive Council, and later Tánaiste. He also became the Minister for Local Government.
Becoming President of Ireland
In 1945, Seán T. O'Kelly became the Fianna Fáil candidate for President of Ireland. He won the election, defeating two other candidates.
During his time as President, he signed the Republic of Ireland Act 1948. This law officially made Ireland a republic on April 18, 1949, and it meant Ireland was no longer part of the British Commonwealth. Because of this, O'Kelly became the first President of Ireland to be recognized internationally as a full head of state. Before this, King George VI was considered Ireland's head of state.
O'Kelly was re-elected without opposition on June 25, 1952, for his second term. He visited many countries in Europe and spoke to the United States Congress in 1959. He finished his second term in 1959 and was replaced by his old friend and mentor, Éamon de Valera.
Visit to the United States
O'Kelly was the first President of Ireland to visit the United States of America. From March 16 to 31, 1959, he was a guest of President Dwight Eisenhower. He was invited to speak to both houses of the U.S. Congress. This visit was very important for Ireland. It showed that the United States recognized Ireland as an independent republic with its own head of state.
This visit also helped improve trust between Ireland and the United States. During World War II, both countries were neutral at first. However, the U.S. joined the war in 1941, while Ireland remained neutral. This caused some tension with American politicians. The invitation to President O'Kelly showed that Ireland had been "forgiven" by the U.S.
A Respected President
When Seán T. O'Kelly retired as President in 1959, The Irish Times newspaper called him a "model President." Even though he was sometimes seen as tactless, he was widely considered to be a genuine and honest person.
He passed away on November 23, 1966, at the age of 84. This was fifty years after the Easter Rising, which first brought him into public life. He is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
Marriages
In 1918, O'Kelly married Mary Kate Ryan, who was known as Kit. She was an assistant professor of modern languages at the National University. They were married until her death in 1934. They did not have any children.
In 1936, O'Kelly married Kit's younger sister, Phyllis Ryan. She was a chemist.
See also
In Spanish: Seán T. O'Kelly para niños
- List of people on stamps of Ireland
