Richard Burke (politician)

Richard Edward Burke (29 March 1932 – 15 March 2016) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as European Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations and Administration from 1982 to 1985, European Commissioner for Taxation, Consumer Affairs, Transport and Parliamentary Relations from 1977 to 1981 and Minister for Education from 1973 to 1976. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1969 to 1976 and 1981 to 1982.[1]

Burke was born in New York City, New York, in 1932. He was raised in Upperchurch, County Tipperary and educated at the Christian Brothers School, Thurles. He went on to study at University College Dublin (UCD) and King's Inns. He worked as a teacher before embarking on a political career.

His first political involvement was with the Christian Democrat Party founded by Seán Loftus. However, he soon became a member of Fine Gael, becoming a member of Dublin County Council in 1967. Two years later, in 1969, he was elected to Dáil Éireann for the first time, becoming a TD for Dublin County South.[2] He was immediately appointed Fine Gael Chief Whip by party leader Liam Cosgrave.

In 1973, a new Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition government was formed and Burke was appointed Minister for Education. During that period in power he joined the Taoiseach, Liam Cosgrave, in voting against the government's own Contraceptives Bill. In 1976, he won an internal cabinet battle with fellow Minister Justin Keating for the nomination as Ireland's European Commissioner. In that position he succeeded Patrick Hillery, who returned to become President of Ireland.

Burke did not contest the 1977 general election, but on the completion of his four-year term as a European Commissioner accepted an invitation to stand at the 1981 general election for Fine Gael, on returning to Ireland from Harvard University after his fellowship year at Leverett House from 1980 to 1981. He was elected a TD for Dublin West.[3]

However, Burke was not appointed to the short-lived cabinet of Garret FitzGerald. At the February 1982 election he retained his seat[2] but Fine Gael lost office; Charles Haughey formed a minority Fianna Fáil government with the support of independent deputies. Haughey's short-lived cabinet, in the absence of suitable and available members of their own party, nominated Burke for acceptance by the European Council and European Parliament as a European Commissioner, for the second time, where his seniority resulted in his nomination as a Vice-President of the Commission.

After Burke left politics at both Irish and European level, he became President and Chief Executive Officer of the Stichting Canon Foundation in Europe until his retirement in 1998.

Burke died on 15 March 2016, and was survived by his wife Mary and five of his six children. He was predeceased by his son Joseph.[4]