William Thomas Cosgrave

Cosgrave, William Thomas

 

Born June 6, 1880, in Dublin; died there Nov. 16, 1965. Irish political leader and statesman.

Cosgrave joined the Sinn Fein movement, formed in 1905, and took part in the Easter Rebellion of 1916. He was a member of the Irish parliament from 1918 to 1944 and minister for local government in the Irish government from 1917 to 1922. As one of the leaders of the right wing of the Sinn Fein movement, Cosgrave supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, signed by M. Collins. He was head of the government of the Irish Free State (Eire) from 1922 to 1932 and also occupied the posts of minister of finance (1922–23) and minister of defense (1924). Cosgrave carried out reactionary political policies serving the interests of Irish capitalist circles, which were closely linked with British imperialism. He was leader of the opposition from 1932 to 1944.