Charles Haughey

Who was Charles Haughey?

Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office. He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil. Haughey was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála in 1957 and was re-elected in every election until 1992, representing the Dublin North–East, Dublin Artane and Dublin North–Central constituencies. Haughey also served as Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Minister for Finance, Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Justice. He also served as a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Justice during the early years of his parliamentary career.

Haughey is generally regarded as the dominant Irish politician of his generation, as well as the most controversial. Upon entering government in the early 1960s, Haughey became the symbol of a new vanguard of Irish ministers. As Taoiseach, he is credited by some economists as starting the positive transformation of the economy in the late 1980s. However, his career was also marked by several major scandals. Haughey was implicated in the Arms Crisis of 1970, which nearly destroyed his career.