Frank Cluskey

Frank Cluskey (Irish: Proinsias Mac Bhloscaidh; 1 April 1930–7 April 1989) was an Irish politician and a former leader of the Irish Labour Party. Frank Cluskey was born on 1 April 1930 in Dublin. He worked as a butcher and then joined the Labour Party. he quickly became a branch secretary in the Workers' Union of Ireland. In 1965 he was elected TD for a Dublin constituency. In 1968 he was elected Mayor of Dublin. In 1973 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Welfare, Brendan Corish. He introduced sweeping reforms to the area while he held that position. He played a leading role in initiating the EU Poverty Programmes. In 1977 the Labour-Fine Gael coalition was defeated in the general election. Brendan Corish resigned as Labour leader. Cluskey became the new leader of the Labour Party. In 1981 Labour entered into a coalition government with Fine Gael. However Cluskey had lost his seat in Dáil Éireann in the 1981 general election and with it the party leadership. He was re-elected to the Dáil in 1982 and was appointed Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism. On 8 December 1983 he resigned as Minister due to a fundamental disagreement over government policy about the Dublin Gas Company. He retained his Dáil seat in the 1987 general election. As an understated politician he was extremely able and highly regarded across the political spectrum, his grassroots origins standing him in good stead throughout his career. Following his re-election his health deteriorated. Frank Cluskey died on 7 May 1989 after a long battle with cancer.