P. J. Ruttledge | |
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.png) Ruttledge in 1933 | |
| Minister for Local Government and Public Health | |
| In office 8 September 1939 – 14 August 1941 | |
| President | Éamon de Valera |
| Preceded by | Seán T. O'Kelly |
| Succeeded by | Seán MacEntee |
| Minister for Justice | |
| In office 8 February 1933 – 8 September 1939 | |
| President | Éamon de Valera |
| Preceded by | James Geoghegan |
| Succeeded by | Gerald Boland |
| Minister for Lands and Fisheries | |
| In office 9 March 1932 – 8 February 1933 | |
| President | Éamon de Valera |
| Preceded by | Fionán Lynch |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Connolly |
| Vice President of Sinn Féin | |
| In office 11 July 1923 – 16 May 1926 | |
| Leader | Éamon de Valera |
| Preceded by | Arthur Griffith |
| Succeeded by | John Madden |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office August 1923 – 8 May 1952 | |
| Constituency | Mayo North |
| In office May 1921 – August 1923 | |
| Constituency | Mayo North and West |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1892-01-01)1 January 1892 Ballina,County Mayo, Ireland |
| Died | 8 May 1952(1952-05-08) (aged 60) Galway, Ireland |
| Political party |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | |
| Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | |
| Battles/wars | |
Patrick Joseph Ruttledge (1 January 1892 – 8 May 1952) was an IrishFianna Fáil politician who served asMinister for Local Government and Public Health from 1939 to 1941,Minister for Justice from 1933 to 1939,Minister for Lands and Fisheries from 1932 to 1933 andVice President of Sinn Féin from 1923 to 1926. He served as aTeachta Dála (TD) from 1921 to 1951.[1]
Born inBallina,County Mayo, in 1892.[2] He was educated atSt Muredach's College and later atSt. Enda's School,Rathfarnham,Dublin, run byPatrick Pearse. After studying atTrinity College Dublin, he qualified as a solicitor in 1918 and built up a practice in his home town.[3]
During theIrish War of Independence he was active in theIrish Republican Army. He was a close friend ofSeán Mac Diarmada, with whom he lived for some time.[3] He also took part in local politics, becoming chair of Ballina Urban Council from 1919 to 1932 and chair ofMayo County Council from 1922 to 1926.
He was first elected toDáil Éireann in 1921 as aSinn FéinTD forMayo North and West.[4] He opposed theAnglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and joined the Republican forces and was seriously injured during theCivil War.[3] He was re-elected to the Dáil again in 1923 forMayo North and in a further ten elections until 1951. In 1926, Ruttledge was a founder-member ofFianna Fáil. In the Dail (in 1928) Ruttledge put forth a proposal for a committee to review the many long prison sentences under which many Republicans were still being held. He stated that the long sentences "reflected a partisan spirit in keeping with the vendetta by prominent political leaders at the time."[5]
He joined thecabinet ofÉamon de Valera in 1932, serving asMinister for Lands and Fisheries,Minister for Justice andMinister for Local Government and Public Health, resigning in 1941 for the officially stated reason of "ill health". However, it is speculated by some historians that his actual motivation for the resignation was that he morally objected to the execution ofIRA members by the Fianna Fáil government.[6] Ruttledge continued to work as TD for over a decade after his resignation despite his "ill health".
During Ruttledge's tenure as Minister for Justice, three IRA men were executed for IRA activities but eight others had their death sentences commuted.[7] Ruttledge worked to suppress a movement he considered to be fascist (theBlueshirts). In February 1933 he had their leaderEoin O'Duffy removed from his position as the Commissioner of the Irish national police force - theGarda Síochána. In 1934 Ruttledge introduced anti-fascist legislation that would prevent the Blueshirts from wearing their uniforms in public (also known as the Blueshirts Bill).[8] In 1937 Ruttledge banned the annual IRA Easter Rising commemoration inCastlebar,County Mayo. Violence ensued with police baton charging marchers with numerous injuries and 13 arrests for Civil Disobedience (including future hunger strikerJack McNeela).[9]
Ruttledge died in 1952 while still a member of the Dáil. He was described byThe Irish Times as 'a gentle, kind and upright man'. He married Helena Roddy in 1928,[10] and they had one son who died young and three daughters. A horse breeder, he was a member of the Turf Club and won theIrish Derby with Mondragon in 1939.[3]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister for Lands and Fisheries 1932–1933 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Justice 1933–1939 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Local Government and Public Health 1939–1941 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Vice President of Sinn Féin 1923–1926 With:Kathleen Lynn | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| People | |
