Irish Fianna Fáil politician (1884–1963)
Patrick John Little (17 June 1884 – 16 May 1963) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician.[ 1] A founder-member of the party, he served in a number of cabinet positions , most notably as the country's longest-serving Minister for Posts and Telegraphs .
Early life
Born in Dundrum , County Dublin , Little was the son of Philip Francis Little and Mary Jane Holdright.[ 2] [ 3] Both his parents were Canadian natives, while his father had served as the first Premier of Newfoundland before settling in Ireland.[ 4] Here he became involved in the Irish Home Rule Movement .
Little was educated at Clongowes Wood College ,[ 5] before later attending University College Dublin . Here he studied law and qualified as a solicitor in 1914.[ 3]
Revolutionary years
Little was engaged in the independence struggle from an early stage. Following the Easter Rising in 1916, he formed, together with Stephen O'Mara , the Irish Nation League, who while being opposed to the Irish Parliamentary Party and supportive of abstentionism, were wary of the militarism of the Irish Volunteers . In 1918 the Volunteers, the Irish Nation League, and the Liberty Clubs, followers of George Noble Plunkett , agreed to merge under the Sinn Féin banner with Éamon de Valera as President to fight the 1918 general election on an abstentionist platform.[ 6]
Little contested the constituency of Dublin Rathmines but lost to Unionist Maurice Dockrell ,[ 7] the only Unionist elected in the area that would become Irish Free State outside of Dublin University . He remained in the background of Sinn Féin for the next number of years. In 1921 he was sent to South Africa to represent the government of the Irish Republic . He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty and fought with the Four Courts Garrison during the Civil War .[ 3]
He became the first editor of An Phoblacht in 1925.[ 8] He also edited other republican newspapers including New Ireland , Éire and Sinn Féin .[ 3]
Political career
Little joined Fianna Fáil shortly after its foundation in 1926. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a TD for the Waterford constituency at the June 1927 general election . He represented the constituency until 1954.[ 9] [ 1]
Little was appointed Government Chief Whip and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for External Affairs in 1933.[ 3] [ 10] Little was appointed Minister for Posts and Telegraphs in 1939[ 11] [ 12] and remained in this office until 1948, when Fianna Fáil failed to form a government.[ 9] He was not reappointed to the cabinet when Fianna Fáil returned to office in 1951. In 1952, following the death of Bridget Redmond , Fianna Fáil won the resulting by-election and held three out of four seats in the constituency. This would have been unsustainable at the next general election so Little did not contest the 1954 general election.[ 9]
Retirement
He was the first chairman of the Arts Council from 1951 until 1956.[ 3] [ 13] He was responsible for the development of the Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra .[ 3] In 1957 he was appointed to the Council of State by Seán T. O'Kelly .[ 14] He was re-appointed to the Council by Éamon de Valera in 1959.[ 3]
Little died in May 1963.[ 9] He is a grand-uncle of Green Party MEP Ciarán Cuffe .[ 15]
See also
References
Parliamentary Secretary to the President (1922–1937) Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach (1937–1977) Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (1978–present)