Garret FitzGerald

**Garret Desmond FitzGerald** (9 February 1926 – 19 May 2011) was an Irish politician who served twice as Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland, from 1981 to 1982 and again from 1982 to 1987. Elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965, and in 1969 to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála (TD), he served as Ireland's foreign minister from 1973 to 1977 and as leader of Fine Gael from 1977 to 1987.

## Early life
FitzGerald was born in Dublin in 1926 into a very politically active family. His father was  Desmond FitzGerald, His mother, the former Mabel Washington McConnell, was a nationalist and republican of Ulster Protestant descent.

He was educated at the Jesuit Belvedere College and University College Dublin (UCD).  A bright student who counted among his  in UCD his future political rival, Charles Haughey, who also knew Joan O'Farrell (the Liverpool-born daughter of a British army ), a fellow student whom FitzGerald would marry in 1947.

He later  as a barrister from the King's Inns of Ireland.

## Early political life
FitzGerald was eager to enter politics and, although it was suggested by several members of Fianna Fáil (including Charles Haughey) that he should join them, he made his entry into party politics under the banner of Fine Gael. He was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and soon built up his political profile. FitzGerald was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1969 general election, for the Dublin South-East constituency.

## Minister for Foreign Affairs
After the 1973 general election, Fine Gael came to power in a coalition government with the Labour Party, with Liam Cosgrave as Taoiseach. FitzGerald hoped that he would take over as Minister for Finance,

## Leader of Fine Gael
In 1977, the National Coalition of Fine Gael and Labour suffered a disastrous electoral defeat in the general election. Liam Cosgrave resigned as party leader and FitzGerald was chosen by  to succeed him.

Under FitzGerald, Fine Gael experienced a  rise in support and popularity. After the November 1982 election it held only five seats fewer than Fianna Fáil (their closest ever  until 2011; at times Fianna Fáil was nearly twice as large), with Fine Gael in the Oireachtas  than Fianna Fáil, who had been the  force in Irish politics for 40 years.

## Taoiseach 1981–82
By the time of the 1981 general election, Fine Gael won 65 seats and formed a  coalition government with the Labour Party and the support of a number of Independent TDs. FitzGerald was elected Taoiseach, on 30 June 1981.

Two key problems faced FitzGerald during his first period: Northern Ireland and the worsening economic situation.

### Northern Ireland
FitzGerald set up the New Ireland Forum in 1983, which brought together  of the constitutional political parties in the Republic and the nationalist SDLP from Northern Ireland. It provided the  for the reopening of serious negotiations between the Irish and British governments, which resulted in the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985.

While the Agreement was rejected and criticised by Unionists, it was said to become the basis for developing trust and common action between the Irish and British governments which, in time, would ultimately bring about the Downing Street Declaration of 1993 and, subsequently, the republican and  cease-fires. and retired completely from politics at the 1992 general election. His wife, Joan, died before him in 1999;

In 2009, FitzGerald had received a new ministerial car, the first and only one to have been bought by the state since an economic recession hit the country in 2008.

## Death
On 5 May 2011, it was reported that FitzGerald was seriously ill in a Dublin hospital. The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, sent his regards and called him an "institution". He was put on a ventilator. On 19 May he died aged 85, from pneumonia, at the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin.

## Governments led by FitzGerald
*17th Government of Ireland (1981&ndash;1982)
*19th Government of Ireland (1982&ndash;1987)

## Notes
## References
## Other websites
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