Michael McDowell (politician)
Irish politician (born 1951) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Michael McDowell (born 1 May 1951)[2] is an Irish independent politician and barrister who serves in Seanad Éireann as a senator for the National University. He formerly served as Attorney General of Ireland, as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, as Tánaiste, and as leader of the Progressive Democrats.
Michael McDowell | |
---|---|
Senator | |
Assumed office 8 June 2016 | |
Constituency | National University |
Tánaiste | |
In office 13 September 2006 – 14 June 2007 | |
Taoiseach | Bertie Ahern |
Preceded by | Mary Harney |
Succeeded by | Brian Cowen |
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform | |
In office 6 June 2002 – 14 June 2007 | |
Taoiseach | Bertie Ahern |
Preceded by | John O'Donoghue |
Succeeded by | Brian Lenihan |
Leader of the Progressive Democrats | |
In office 11 September 2006 – 25 May 2007 | |
Preceded by | Mary Harney |
Succeeded by | Mary Harney |
27th Attorney General of Ireland | |
In office 17 July 1999 – 6 June 2002 | |
Taoiseach | Bertie Ahern |
Preceded by | David Byrne |
Succeeded by | Rory Brady |
Teachta Dála | |
In office May 2002 – May 2007 | |
In office November 1992 – June 1997 | |
In office February 1987 – June 1989 | |
Constituency | Dublin South-East |
Personal details | |
Born | (1951-05-01) 1 May 1951 (age 73) Dublin, Ireland |
Political party | Independent (2009–present) |
Other political affiliations |
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Spouse | |
Children | 3[1] |
Education | Gonzaga College |
Alma mater | University College Dublin |
Military service | |
Branch/service | Army Reserve |
Years of service | 1970–1981 |
A grandson of Irish revolutionary Eoin MacNeill, McDowell was educated at Gonzaga College and studied law at University College Dublin and King's Inns. He began practicing as a barrister in 1974, becoming a senior counsel in 1987. Initially a member of Fine Gael, he co-founded the Progressive Democrats in the mid-1980s and was elected three times as a TD for the Dublin South-East constituency, serving in the 25th Dáil (1987–1989), the 27th Dáil (1992–1997), and the 29th Dáil (2002–2007). He served as Attorney General of Ireland from 1999–2002 and as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform from 2002–2007.
After Mary Harney resigned as leader of the Progressive Democrats in September 2006, McDowell became party leader and Tánaiste. He led the Progressive Democrats into the 2007 general election, in which the party lost six of its eight seats in Dáil Éireann, including his own. He immediately resigned as party leader—his brief tenure having made him the shortest-serving party leader in the history of the state—and left public life to resume his private legal career. However, he returned to politics in 2016 and was elected to Seanad Éireann, to which he was re-elected in 2020. He was regarded as instrumental in campaigning for No votes in the March 2024 constitutional referendums on Family and Care, both of which were comprehensively defeated.