P. J. Ruttledge | |
|---|---|
.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 | 1 January 1892 Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland |
| Died | 8 May 1952 (aged 60) Galway, Ireland |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse |
Helena Roddy
(m. 1920; died 1951) |
| 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 Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister 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 and Vice President of Sinn Féin from 1923 to 1926. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1921 to 1951.[1]
Born in Ballina, County Mayo, in 1892.[2] He was educated at St Muredach's College and later at St. Enda's School, Rathfarnham, Dublin, run by Patrick Pearse. After studying at Trinity College Dublin, he qualified as a solicitor in 1918 and built up a practice in his home town.[3]
During the Irish War of Independence he was active in the Irish Republican Army. He was a close friend of Seán 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 of Mayo County Council from 1922 to 1926.
He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1921 as a Sinn Féin TD for Mayo North and West.[4] He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and joined the Republican forces and was seriously injured during the Civil War.[3] He was re-elected to the Dáil again in 1923 for Mayo North and in a further ten elections until 1951. In 1926, Ruttledge was a founder-member of Fianna Fáil.
He joined the cabinet of Éamon de Valera in 1932, serving as Minister for Lands and Fisheries, Minister for Justice and Minister 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 of IRA members by the Fianna Fáil government.[5] During Ruttledge's tenure as Minister for Justice, he had executed three men for IRA activity but commuted the death sentences of eight other men.[6] Ruttledge continued to work as TD for over a decade after his resignation despite his "ill health".
Ruttledge died in 1952 while still a member of the Dáil. He was described by the Irish Times as 'a gentle, kind and upright man'. He married Helena Roddy in 1920, and they had one son who died young and three daughters. A horsebreeder, he was a member of the Turf Club and won the Irish Derby with Mondragon in 1939.[3]
