Gerald Boland

Gerald Boland
Boland in 1933
Minister for Justice
In office
13 June 1951 – 2 June 1954
TaoiseachÉamon de Valera
Preceded byDaniel Morrissey
Succeeded byJames Everett
In office
8 September 1939 – 18 February 1948
TaoiseachÉamon de Valera
Preceded byP. J. Ruttledge
Succeeded bySeán Mac Eoin
Minister for Lands
In office
11 November 1936 – 8 September 1939
TaoiseachÉamon de Valera
Preceded byFrank Aiken
Succeeded byThomas Derrig
Minister for Posts and Telegraphs
In office
8 February 1933 – 11 November 1936
PresidentÉamon de Valera
Preceded byJoseph Connolly
Succeeded byOscar Traynor
Parliamentary Secretary
1932–1933Government Chief Whip
Senator
In office
23 June 1965 – 5 November 1969
ConstituencyNominated by the Taoiseach
In office
14 December 1961 – 23 June 1965
ConstituencyIndustrial and Commercial Panel
Teachta Dála
In office
August 1923 – October 1961
ConstituencyRoscommon
Personal details
Born(1885-05-25)25 May 1885
Manchester, England
Died5 January 1973(1973-01-05) (aged 87)
Dublin, Ireland
Resting placeGlasnevin Cemetery, Dublin
NationalityIrish
Political partyFianna Fáil
Spouse
Annie Keating
(m. 1920; died 1970)
Children7, including Kevin and Harry
Parent
RelativesHarry Boland (brother)
EducationO'Brien Institute
Military service
Allegiance
Years of service1913–1922
Battles/wars

Gerald Boland (25 May 1885 – 5 January 1973)[1] was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Justice from 1939 to 1948 and 1951 to 1954, Minister for Lands from 1936 to 1939, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1933 to 1936 and Government Chief Whip from 1932 to 1933. He served as a Senator from 1961 to 1969 and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Roscommon constituency from 1923 to 1961.[2]

Boland was active during the Irish revolutionary period, fighting in both the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War, the latter of which saw the death of his brother Harry Boland. Following the wars, Boland was amongst those who lead Republicans out of Sinn Féin and into Fianna Fáil following a split over abstentionism. When Fianna Fáil came to power in 1932, Boland became a perennial member of the cabinet, most notably as Ireland's longest-serving Minister for Justice. Despite being socially liberal in his own views and a committed Irish republican, as Minister for Justice he was frequently asked by the government to enforce hardline policies against Irish citizens in order to prevent the Irish Republican Army from drawing the Irish state into World War II.[3]

  1. ^ "Residents of a house 26.2 in Lennox St. (Fitzwilliam, Dublin)". The National Archives of Ireland 1911 Census. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  2. ^ "Gerald Boland". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  3. ^ White, Lawrence William. "Boland, Gerald". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 9 January 2021.