Peter Mathews
Teachta Dála
In office
February 2011 – February 2016
ConstituencyDublin South
Personal details
Born(1951-08-07)7 August 1951
Dublin, Ireland
Died27 February 2017(2017-02-27) (aged 65)
Dublin, Ireland
Political partyFine Gael
Spouse
Susan Mathews
​
(m. 1985)​
Children4
EducationGonzaga College
Alma materUniversity College Dublin

Peter Mathews (7 August 1951 – 27 February 2017) was an Irish economist and politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South constituency from 2011 to 2016.[1]

Initially elected as a Fine Gael TD for the Dublin South constituency at the 2011 general election,[2] he lost that party's parliamentary party whip in July 2013.[3] He left the Fine Gael party in October 2013 and sat as an Independent TD for the remainder of the 31st Dáil.

A frequent panelist on Tonight with Vincent Browne during the Irish financial crisis,[4] Mathews attended Gonzaga College and studied commerce at University College Dublin. He was married to Susan and they had four children.[5] Mathews joined the Progressive Democrats on its foundation but left shortly afterwards.[6]

He was a qualified Chartered Accountant, and worked for Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) and ICC Bank. Before entering politics, he was a consultant on banking and finance, and a media commentator.[7]

On 14 March 2012, the Government was defeated in a vote taken at a meeting of the Oireachtas finance committee after numerous Fine Gael TDs went missing. The motion, tabled by Mathews who was then forced to vote against it following threats from his colleagues, proposed that Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan be forced to appear before the Oireachtas finance committee by the end of the month.[8][9][10][11]

Mathews was expelled from the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party on 2 July 2013, when he defied the party whip by voting against the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013.[3][12] On 13 September 2013, he and six other expellees formed the Reform Alliance, described as a "loose alliance" rather than a political party.[13]

On 3 October 2013, he resigned from Fine Gael.[14]

Despite a diagnosis of oesophageal cancer, Mathews said he would still contest the 2016 general election.[15] However, he lost his seat.[2] Mathews died as a result of his cancer on 27 February 2017, aged 65.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Peter Mathews". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Peter Mathews". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Abortion law moves one step closer". Irish Independent. 2 July 2013.
  4. ^ Regan, Mary (16 March 2012). "Man from the TV left with little to analyse". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 March 2012. In last year's general election, or so the Leinster House lore goes, a banker in a pinstripe suit would knock on the doors of homes in Dublin South and introduce himself by saying "you might know me from the Vincent Browne show". Now a Fine Gael TD, Peter Mathews had made his name as a panel stalwart during the financial crisis, regularly appearing on the TV3 nightly programme.
  5. ^ "Learn About Me". finegael.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  6. ^ Cullen, Paul (22 January 2011). "Mathews unveiled as FG candidate". The Irish Times.
  7. ^ Peter Mathews (1 August 2010). "No, minister: Nama can be dismantled!". Sunday Independent.
  8. ^ Minihan, Mary (14 March 2012). "Government loses Oireachtas vote". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Red faces for Govt over committee vote defeat". Irish Examiner. Thomas Crosbie Holdings. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  10. ^ Kelly, Fiach (15 March 2012). "Red faces for Fine Gael as vote lost over 'missing' TDs". Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  11. ^ "Government lost committee vote 'because TDs were locked out of the room'". The Journal. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  12. ^ "Fine Gael expels four TDs for voting against abortion Bill". The Irish Times. 3 July 2013.
  13. ^ "The politicians formerly known as the Fine Gael rebels are now the Reform Alliance". Thejournal.ie. 10 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  14. ^ "Fine Gael deputy Peter Mathews resigns from party". RTÉ News. 3 October 2013.
  15. ^ "Peter Matthews to contest General Election despite cancer diagnosis". BreakingNews.ie. 4 February 2016.
  16. ^ Sarah Bardon, Pat Leahy (29 November 2016). "Peter Mathews, former FG and Independent TD, dies aged 65". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
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