T. K. "Ken" Whitaker (born December 1916) is a former Irish economist and public servant, credited with a pivotal role in the economic development of Ireland. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. An economist is an expert in the Social science of Economics. The Civil Service (An Stát-sheirbhís of Ireland is the collective term for the permanent staff of the Departments of State and certain State Agencies
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Life
Thomas Kenneth Whitaker was born in 1916 in Rostrevor, County Down. For the place in Adelaide, South Australia, see Rostrevor South Australia. County Down, ( Ulster Scots: Coontie Doun. is one of the nine counties that form the province of Ulster and one of six counties that form His Catholic mother, Jane O'Connor, came from Ballyguirey East, Labasheeda, Co. Clare, whilst his father was a local man. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". Labasheeda ( Irish: Leaba Shioda) is a Village in County Clare, Ireland. County Clare ( Irish: Contae an Chláir) commonly referred to as simply Clare, is a county on Ireland and part of the wider Due to his parents’ adherence to the Ne Temere decree, he was educated by the Christian Brothers in Drogheda and later obtained a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics, economics and Celtic studies. Ne Temere (literally meaning "not rashly" in Latin) was a decree (named for its opening words of the Roman Catholic Congregation of The Congregation of Christian Brothers (officially in Latin: Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum) is a world-wide community of religious brothers within Drogheda (ˈdrɒhədə ˈdrɔːdə ( Droichead Átha in Irish, meaning "Bridge of the Ford" is an industrial and port town in County Louth on Whitaker also earned a M. Sc. Econ degree by private study from the University of London. The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK.
Whitaker applied to join the Irish Civil Service and was successively awarded first place in four civil service exams: Clerical Officer (1934), Executive Officer (1935), Assistant Inspector of Taxes (1937), and Administrative Officer (1938). In 1943, he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Principal Officer, and in 1947, Principal Officer.
In 1956 Whitaker was appointed Secretary at the Department of Finance at the age of thirty-nine, becoming the youngest ever person to hold this senior position. The Department of Finance (An Roinn Airgeadais is a department of the Government of Ireland. His surprise appointment took place at a time when Ireland's economy was in deep depression. The economy of the Republic of Ireland is modern and trade-dependent with growth averaging a 7% per annum in 1995&ndash2007 In Economics, a depression is a term commonly used for a sustained downturn in one or more national economies Economic growth was non-existent, inflation apparently insoluble, unemployment rife, living standards low and emigration at a figure not far below the birth rate. Economic growth is the increase in the amount of the goods and services produced by an economy over time In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. "Emigrant" redirects here For the Butterflies, see Catopsilia. Crude birth rate is the natality or Childbirths per 1000 people per year Whitaker believed that free trade, with increased competition and the end of protectionism, would become inevitable and that jobs would have to be created by a shift from agriculture to industry and services. Free trade is a system in which the trade of goods and services between or within countries flows unhindered by government-imposed restrictions For the protectionist Australian political party from the 1880s to 1909 see Protectionist Party He formed a team of officials within the department (the "Whitaker Committee") and together they produced a detailed study of the economy, culminating in a plan recommending policies for improvement. The plan was accepted by the government and was transformed into a White Paper which became known as the Programme for Economic Expansion, and somewhat unusually this was published with his name attached in November 1958. A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that often addresses problems and how to solve them Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The programme, which became known as the "Grey Book", became a landmark in Irish economic history, primarily for its bold new ideas. This brought the stimulus of foreign investment into the Irish economy.
Subsequently, Whitaker steered Ireland’s programme of trade liberalisation and structural reform in the 1960s. Economic growth accelerated as a result. In 1973, Ireland acceded to the EU in a process to which he played an instrumental role as Governor of the Irish Central Bank, a role to which he had moved in 1969. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government The Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland (Banc Ceannais agus Údarás Seirbhísí Airgeadais na hÉireann is the financial services regulator of Ireland
His influence was not confined to things economic alone, however. In 1965 he liaised with Jim Malley, private secretary to the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, and was able to successfully organise the unprecedented meeting between Seán Lemass and Terence O'Neill. The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the De facto head of the Government of Northern Ireland. Seán Francis Lemass (15 July 1899 &ndash 11 May 1971 was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and third Taoiseach of Ireland from 1959 until 1966 Terence Marne O'Neill Baron O'Neill of the Maine, PC ( 10 September 1914 &ndash 12 June 1990) was the fourth Prime Minister
Although Whitaker had left the Department of Finance in 1969, he remained policy advisor to Jack Lynch on matters concerning Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of As a result, a document entitled 'The Constitutional Position of Northern Ireland in IV parts' was created, which analysed the historical development of the situation in Northern Ireland, the pro-partition view, the anti-partition view, and possible reconciliation between North and South. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of
Whitaker worked with the Ford Foundation to secure funding to launch the Economic and Social Research Institute of Ireland, and was its president from foundation for over fifteen years. The Ford Foundation is a Private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI is a Think tank in Dublin, Ireland.
In 1977, the then Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Jack Lynch nominated Whitaker as a member of the 14th Seanad Éireann from 1977 to 1981, where he served as an independent (i. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the John Mary "Jack" Lynch ( Irish: Seán Ó Loinsigh; 15 August 1917 &ndash 20 October 1999 was the fourth Taoiseach of Ireland, e. non-party) senator. In 1981 he was nominated to the 15th Seanad by the Fine Gael Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, where he served until 1982. Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael (ˌfina gail meaning Family of the Irish or Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest Garret FitzGerald (Gearóid Mac Gearailt born 9 February 1926 was the seventh Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office (July 1981 to February 1982 December FitzGerald also appointed him to chair a Committee of Inquiry into the Irish penal system, and he also chaired a Parole Board or Sentence Review Group for several years.
Whitaker also served as Chancellor of the National University of Ireland from 1976 to 1996. The National University of Ireland ( NUI) (Ollscoil na hÉireann is a federal University system of constituent universities, previously called He was also President of the Royal Irish Academy and as such, a member of the Board of Governors and Guardians of the National Gallery of Ireland, from 1985 to 1987. The Royal Irish Academy ( RIA) (Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann is an all-Ireland, independent academic body that promotes study and excellence in the Sciences The National Gallery of Ireland (Ghailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann houses the Irish national collection of Irish and European art.
From 1995–1996 he chaired the Constitution Review Group, an independent expert group established by the government, which published its report in July 1996. [1]
Ken Whitaker also served as the first Chairman of the Scholarship Board of the O'Reilly Foundation and the first Chairman of the Agency for Personal Service Overseas (APSO). The O'Reilly Foundation is a personal charitable trust set up by billionaire media magnate and former CEO of Heinz, Sir Anthony "Tony" O'Reilly He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Management.
Awards and recognition
In 2001, an RTÉ programme voted Whitaker the "Irishman of the 20th Century", beating Michael Collins and other revolutionaries in the process. Michael John ("Mick" Collins (Mícheál Seán Ó Coileáin 16 October 1890 &ndash 22 August 1922 was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for
In December 2001, the Dundalk Institute of Technology opened a building named in his honour. Dundalk Institute of Technology ( DkIT) formerly Regional Technical College Dundalk is located in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland.
He won the "Greatest Living Irish Person" award in 2002. The People Of The Year Awards is an annual show in Ireland organised by the Rehab Group, televised by RTÉ television and hosted by Gráinne Seoige. [2]
In February 2005 he was presented with an Honorary Fellowship in the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin by the then-Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen. The Literary and Historical Society (L&H is University College Dublin ' s oldest debating society and the official College Debating Union University College Dublin (UCD (An Coláiste Ollscoile Baile Átha Cliath - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland Dublin (An Brian Cowen (Brian Ó Comhain born) is the current Taoiseach of Ireland.
Personal life
T. K. Whitaker married, and he and Mary Whitaker were invited to Aras an Uachtarain for his 90th birthday by the President of Ireland[2]. Áras an Uachtaráin, formerly the Viceregal Lodge, is the official residence of the President of Ireland. The President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Head of state of Ireland. Mary Whitaker died on 21 April 2008, her funeral on 24 April attended by political and economic figures and Tony O'Reilly. Sir Anthony Joseph Francis O'Reilly PhD often known simply as "Tony O'Reilly" born 7 May 1936 is a Dublin -born billionaire who holds both Irish and British
Notes
External links/References
- UCD Archive
- University Observer
- National University of Ireland
- Central fisheries Board, Landing salmon 2003
- RTÉ Interview October 2007
This page incorporates information from the Oireachtas Members Database
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