Evening star., 1949-07-13
DR.. Hyde, Fires Protestant
First President, Dies at SO
Scholar and Poet
Retired at End of
Seventeen Term
By the Assoeiotsd Press

DUBLIN. Ireland. July 13.-Dr
Douglas Hyde. 88. first President
of Fire, died last night.
A scholar and poet, DR.. Hyde
was chosen president by acclama.
ton and took the oath of Office
June Is, 1898. He was a Protes-
tant, son of clergyman.
Ill health forced him to an.
nounce his retirement as his sew.
en-year term drew to a close. He
was succeeded by Sean O'Kelly
after the presidential election Of
June, 1945.
DR.. Hyde began at 78 a new
career, years after he had retired
as scholar. poet and authority or
Irish folklore.
DR.. Hyde in 1893 had accom-.
plished the feat of uniting Prot
estants and Catholics in the
Gaelic League, a nationalistic or.
ganization which became potent
force in creating the new Ireland
His unopposed election as Presi.
dent, As years later. was widely
interpreted as a move to please
Protestant Ulster and smooth the
way for an eventual union o1
Northern Ireland with the erst-
while Free State.
There were two sides to his
career and he showed them both
on sojourns in the United States
He crossed first in 1891 to serve
as interim professor Of modern
Languages at Rutgers University
Fifteen years later he toured the
country in behalf of his Gaelic
League and collected $55,000 fol
it's treasury. For this he was giver
the freedom of. the cities of Dub.
lin. Cork and Kilkenny.
Regarded as Elder Statesman.
Ireland admired him as scholar
and poet, acclaimed him as {
patriot and respected him as ar
elder statesman. To him wa!
given credit for the revival o:
Erse. ancient Gaelic language O.
Erin. He first studied it to while
away the tediousness of long ILL
ness in the early years of the cen
tury. Then started a campaign
for it's restoration. Eventual.
Erse was taught in all Irish school,
and became the official Language
of the Saorstat.
DR.. Hyde was born in Count,
Roscommon, but exactly when HI
wouldn't say. The year was 1856
but, always touchy about his age
he would never furnish the exac
date of his birth to reference
books and personal inquiries al
ways brought point-blank refusal
to discuss the subject.
His brilliance as a scholar wa
manifested in his student days a
Trinity College, Dublin, where h
was first senior moderator" HI
graduated as a bachelor Of art
in 1884 and doctor OF laws IL
1887.
Helped Edit Irish Library.
In 1894-5 he was president o
the Irish National Literary So
ciety. In 1897 he was appointed
examiner in Celtic at the Roya
University of Ireland and tina
year also helped edit a new Irisf
library. -
His first book appeared in 1898
He produced poems. plays ant
tales of Old Ireland steadily unit
he was we'll past 10, writing man!
of them in Gaelic. He also trans
lated old Celtic texts and wrot4
a literary history of Ireland.
| In 1909 he became professor o
modern Irish and dean of tn
Celtic faculty of the Nationa
University of Ireland. From 1913
to 1884 he was chairman Of tn
Folklore Institute of Ireland,
post which he retained after re
signing his university position il
1882 and retiring to his garden a
Lough Ratra in the mountains Q
his native Roscommon.
Held Many Academic Honors.
He held many academic honors
including honorary degrees of Lit
D. from the Royal University O
Ireland 1906). the University O
Wales Q92O and Trinity Coueg
1889.
Although most of his life wa
spent in the lecture room and tn
study, he was virtual creator o
the Ireland for the Irish" move
ment. He always regarded tn
Gaelic League as his creates
achievement.
It was born in 1893 at meeting
where Hyde made a fiery speecl
on "The Necessity of De-Angli
cizing England" He was tn
organizations first president ant
held the place until 1915.
He was elected to the Senate
of the Irish Free State in 1922
but was q long way behind active
politics when called from hi:
bookish retirement in County
Roscommon to occupy Vicerega
Lodge in Phoenix Park, Dublin
official home of Ireland's viceroy:
until the Irish Free State severed
executive ties with England.
Deof Aussie Gets Degree
Pierre German, completely dea.
since birth. got a bachelor of sci.