Gemma Hussey | |
|---|---|
 Hussey,c. 1980s | |
| Minister for Social Welfare | |
| In office 14 February 1986 – 10 March 1987 | |
| Taoiseach | Garret FitzGerald |
| Preceded by | Barry Desmond |
| Succeeded by | Michael Woods |
| Minister for Labour | |
| In office 20 January 1987 – 10 March 1987 | |
| Taoiseach | Garret FitzGerald |
| Preceded by | Ruairi Quinn |
| Succeeded by | Bertie Ahern |
| Minister for Education | |
| In office 14 December 1982 – 14 February 1986 | |
| Taoiseach | Garret FitzGerald |
| Preceded by | Gerard Brady |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Cooney |
| Leader of the Seanad | |
| In office 8 October 1981 – 26 March 1982 | |
| Taoiseach | Garret FitzGerald |
| Preceded by | Eoin Ryan Snr |
| Succeeded by | Eoin Ryan Snr |
| Leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad | |
| In office 8 October 1981 – 26 March 1982 | |
| Leader | Garret FitzGerald |
| Preceded by | Patrick Cooney |
| Succeeded by | James Dooge |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office February 1982 – June 1989 | |
| Constituency | Wicklow |
| Senator | |
| In office 27 October 1977 – 18 February 1982 | |
| Constituency | National University |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gemma Moran (1938-11-11)11 November 1938 Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Died | 26 November 2024(2024-11-26) (aged 86) Dublin, Ireland |
| Party | Fine Gael |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
Gemma Hussey (née Moran; 11 November 1938 – 26 November 2024) was an IrishFine Gael politician who served asMinister for Social Welfare from 1986 to 1987,Minister for Labour from January 1987 to March 1987,Minister for Education from 1982 to 1986,Leader of the Seanad andLeader of Fine Gael in the Seanad from 1981 to 1982. She served as aTeachta Dála (TD) for theWicklow constituency from 1982 to 1989. She also served as aSenator for theNational University from 1977 to 1982.[1]
Hussey made history as Ireland's first female Minister for Education and Fine Gael's first female Cabinet minister.[2] During her tenure in education from 1982 to 1986, she introduced lasting reforms, such as the establishment of aural and oral exams and the creation of the National Parents Council.[3][4] An advocate for women’s rights, Hussey worked to increase female representation in politics and highlighted gender issues in broadcasting as a member of the Working Party on Women in Broadcasting.[3] Additionally, Hussey campaigned throughout the 1980s for the legalisation of divorce, a highly divisive issue at the time.[3] In 2011,the Times summarised Huessy ideologically as a "heavyweightBlueshirt Liberal".[5]
After leaving electoral politics in 1989, she became actively involved in the European Women’s Federation, encouraging women from former Eastern Bloc countries to engage in political life for the first time.[3] She was a committed Europhile and supporter of theEuropean Union.[3][6] Hussey was also a published author, writingAt the Cutting Edge: Cabinet Diaries 1982–1987 andIreland Today: An Anatomy of a Changing State, offering insights into Irish politics and societal changes.
Gemma Moran was born inBray, County Wicklow, in 1938. She was educated at Loreto College,Foxrock and atUniversity College Dublin. Hussey had a successful career running a language school in the late 1960s and 1970s. She married Derry Hussey in 1964, and they had 3 children. Derry Hussey died in 2020.[7]
From 1973 onwards, Hussey was a key member of theWomen's Political Association, a non-partisan organisation which focused on increasing women's representation in Irish politics.[8][9]
She was elected by theNational University toSeanad Éireann, serving in the upper house of theOireachtas, from 1977 until 1982. She sat as anIndependent Senator for the first three years, before joining Fine Gael. She then served as Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson on Women's Affairs from 1981 to 1982. She went on to be the party leader in the Seanad and leader of the Seanad from 1981 to 1982.[10]
Hussey played a role in advocating for gender equality within Irish media, particularly focusing on RTÉ. Serving on the Working Party on Women in Broadcasting, Hussey presented a significant 1980 submission to the RTÉ Authority and senior management. Her report addressed issues such as the stereotyping of women, sexism, and gender imbalance in Irish broadcasting, highlighting the need for reform in how women were represented in the media.[11][9]
She was first elected toDáil Éireann on her second attempt, at theFebruary 1982 general election, as a Fine GaelTD forWicklow.[1]
Hussey served asMinister for Education in the Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition government ofTaoiseachGarret FitzGerald from 1982 to 1986, during which time she was heavily criticised by teachers' unions during a bitter pay strike in 1984.[12] The 1980s was a decade of economic crisis and the government was faced with challenges caused by the precarious state of the public finances. This meant that she had to find ways to reduce the Education budget. One of her measures was to introduce charges for the school transport system, which proved unpopular. However, third-level enrolments were increasing rapidly and Hussey secured increased funding for higher education at a time of severe spending cutbacks.[13] In 1986, she becameMinister for Social Welfare. FitzGerald considered creating a new ministry for Hussey as Minister forEEC affairs. However, she did not wish to compete with theDepartment of Foreign Affairs, and so declined the position.[14]
Always a liberal and afeminist, she took a strongly supportive position on the legalisation of divorce, which wasdefeated in a referendum in 1986, and frequently suggested that she supported the liberalisation of Ireland's abortion ban.[3][15] A member of Fine Gael's liberal wing, which includedMonica Barnes,Nuala Fennell,Alan Shatter andAlan Dukes, she was disliked by the conservative wing of the party which included TDs likeOliver J. Flanagan,Alice Glenn andGerry L'Estrange.
During a meeting withKeith Joseph, BritishSecretary of State for Education, Joseph boasted to Hussey that he heldsurgeries once a month, which was considered a high number inBritain. Hussey responded that she had to do clinics three days every week to hold on to her seat as a TD.[16]
The book of her cabinet diaries,At the Cutting Edge, published in 1990, was hailed as the most thorough and realistic account of life inside the cabinet in Ireland.[citation needed] She retired from politics at the1989 general election.
In 1990, she was sharply criticised within her party for suggesting that she might support the Labour Party presidential candidate,Mary Robinson, a feminist, over the official Fine Gael candidateAustin Currie. Mary Robinson went on to become Ireland's first female President.
An enthusiasticEurophile, Hussey spent a lot of her time promoting the advancement of women in politics around theEuropean Union.[3][6]
In the lead-up to the1997 presidential election, Hussey was mentioned as a possible Fine Gael candidate and was predicted to do well across Dublin and in her native Wicklow constituency and among supporters of Fine Gael and of theProgressive Democrats. In the event the party nomination went toMary Banotti, who lost toMary McAleese in the election.
In 2015, during the public debates held before the2015 referendum on Marriage Equality in Ireland, Hussey called for a yes vote, and also for the legislation of abortion.[17]
Hussey died following a short illness on 26 November 2024, at the age of 86.[18][19][20]
Throughout her public and political life Gemma Hussey was a liberal and a feminist.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister for Education 1982–1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Social Welfare 1986–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Labour 1987 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
