1966 Irish presidential election

1966 Irish presidential election

← 1959 1 June 1966 1973 →
Turnout	1,107,005 (64.7%)[1]
O'Higgins Nominee Éamon de Valera Tom O'Higgins Party Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Popular vote 558,861 548,144 Final percentage 50.5% 49.5%
President before election Éamon de Valera Fianna Fáil Elected President Éamon de Valera Fianna Fáil

The 1966 Irish presidential election was held on Wednesday 1 June 1966, and was contested between the incumbent president Éamon de Valera, representing Fianna Fáil, and Tom O'Higgins of Fine Gael. De Valera, one of the most prominent figures in 20th-century Irish politics and figurehead of Ireland's old guard, sought a second term at the age of 83, while O'Higgins represented a younger generation seeking political change. The election was notable for its extremely narrow outcome, with de Valera winning by a slim margin of just 10,717 votes (50.5% to 49.5%). The election held symbolic significance, occurring not only on the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising (an event in which de Valera had been a prominent leader) but also in the wake of the 1960 United States presidential election, where the young, charismatic Irish-American Catholic John F. Kennedy was the victor. Both events influenced the election and helped shape the narrative that the election was a battle between Ireland's different generations.