View source for Frank Cluskey

{{Short description|Irish politician (1930–1989)}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image         = Frank Cluskey, 1981 01 (cropped).jpg
| caption       = Cluskey in 1981
| office        = [[Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment|Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism]]
| taoiseach     = [[Garret FitzGerald]]
| term_start    = 14 December 1982
| term_end      = 8 December 1983
| predecessor   = [[Pádraig Flynn]]
| successor     = Garret FitzGerald
| office1       = [[Leader of the Labour Party (Ireland)|Leader of the Labour Party]]
| term_start1   = 1 July 1977
| term_end1     = 12 June 1981
| predecessor1  = [[Brendan Corish]]
| successor1    = [[Michael O'Leary (politician)|Michael O'Leary]]
| office2       = [[Minister of State (Ireland)|Parliamentary Secretary]]
| suboffice2    = [[Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection|Social Welfare]]
| subterm2      = 1973–1977
| office3       = [[Teachta Dála]]
| term_start3   = [[February 1982 Irish general election|February 1982]]
| term_end3     = 7 May 1989
| term_start4   = [[1977 Irish general election|June 1977]]
| term_end4     = [[1981 Irish general election|June 1981]]
| constituency4 = [[Dublin South-Central (Dáil constituency)|Dublin South-Central]]
| term_start5   = [[1969 Irish general election|June 1969]]
| term_end5     = [[1977 Irish general election|June 1977]]
| constituency5 = [[Dublin Central (Dáil constituency)|Dublin Central]]
| term_start6   = [[1965 Irish general election|April 1965]] 
| term_end6     = [[1969 Irish general election|June 1969]]
| constituency6 = [[Dublin South-Central (Dáil constituency)|Dublin South-Central]]
| office7       = [[Member of the European Parliament]]
| term_start7   = 1 July 1981
| term_end7     = 24 November 1982
| constituency7 = [[Dublin (European Parliament constituency)|Dublin]]
| office8       = [[Lord Mayor of Dublin]]
| term_start8   = 1968
| term_end8     = 1969
| predecessor8  = [[Thomas Stafford (Irish politician)|Thomas Stafford]]
| successor8    = [[James O'Keeffe]] {{small|(1974)}}
| birth_name    = Francis Cluskey
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1930|4|8|df=y}} 
| birth_place   = [[Dublin]], Ireland
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1989|5|7|1930|4|8|df=y}}
| death_place   = Dublin, Ireland
| party         = [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]]
| spouse        = {{marriage|Eileen Gillespie|1956|1978|end=d.}}
| children      = 3
| education     = [[St. Vincent's C.B.S.]]
| relatives     = [[May Cluskey]] (sister)
}}
'''Frank Cluskey''' (8 April 1930 – 7 May 1989) was an Irish [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] politician who served as [[Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment|Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism]] from 1982 to 1983, [[Leader of the Labour Party (Ireland)|Leader of the Labour Party]] from 1977 to 1981 and [[Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection|Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Welfare]] from 1973 to 1977. He served as a [[Teachta Dála]] (TD) for the [[Dublin South-Central (Dáil constituency)|Dublin South-Central]] and [[Dublin Central (Dáil constituency)|Dublin Central]] constituencies from 1965 to 1981 and 1982 to 1989.<ref name=oireachtas_db>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Frank-Cluskey.D.1965-04-21/|title=Frank Cluskey|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=11 February 2008|archive-date=6 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106210726/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Frank-Cluskey.D.1965-04-21|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Early and personal life==
Cluskey was born on 8 April 1930 in [[Dublin]], the youngest of two sons and three daughters of Francis Cluskey a butcher and active trade unionist, and Elizabeth Cluskey (née Millington). His father was long-serving secretary of the butchers' section of the [[Workers' Union of Ireland]] (WUI)), and a close associate of [[James Larkin]].<ref name=dib>{{cite web|url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/cluskey-frank-francis-a1768|title=Cluskey, Frank|work=[[Dictionary of Irish Biography]]|last=White|first=Lawrence William|last2=Dempsey|first2=Pauric J.|access-date=21 January 2023}}</ref> He was educated at [[St. Vincent's C.B.S.]] in [[Glasnevin]]. He worked as a butcher and then joined the Labour Party. He quickly became a branch secretary in the WUI.<ref name=dib/> He married Eileen Gillespie in 1965, a post office civil servant from Clontarf; she died after a short illness in 1978. They had two daughters and one son.<ref name=dib/>

==Politics==
At the [[1965 Irish general election|1965 general election]] he was elected as a Labour Party [[Teachta Dála]] (TD) for the [[Dublin South-Central (Dáil constituency)|Dublin South-Central]] constituency. He was a member of [[Dublin City Council]] from 1960 to 1969, and in 1968 he was elected [[Lord Mayor of Dublin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dublincity.ie/sites/default/files/2020-09/lord-mayors-of-dublin-1665-2021.pdf|title=Lord Mayors of Dublin 1665–2020 |work=Dublin City Council|date=June 2020|access-date=18 November 2023}}</ref><ref name=dib/> In 1973 he was appointed [[Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection|Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Welfare]], [[Brendan Corish]]. He introduced sweeping reforms to the area while he held that position, pushing  through legislation introducing a 'single-mothers' welfare allowance and managing with his colleagues to triple welfare spending between 1973 and 1977.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/cluskeys-memory-shines-through-from-this-very-grim-mother-and-baby-report-39966624.html|title=Cluskey's memory shines through from this very grim Mother and Baby report|work=Irish Independent|date=14 January 2021|first=John|last=Downing|access-date=7 April 2021|archive-date=20 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520030548/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/cluskeys-memory-shines-through-from-this-very-grim-mother-and-baby-report-39966624.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=dib/> He played a leading role in initiating the [[European Union|EU]] Poverty Programmes.

The [[Fine Gael]]–[[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] coalition was defeated at the [[1977 Irish general election|1977 general election]] resulting in the resignation of [[Brendan Corish]] as Labour Party leader. Cluskey was elected the new leader of the Labour Party. In 1981, the Labour Party entered into a coalition government with Fine Gael. However Cluskey had lost his seat at the [[1981 Irish general election|1981 general election]] and resigned the party leadership. On 1 July 1981, he was appointed as a [[Member of the European Parliament]] (MEP) for [[Dublin (European Parliament constituency)|Dublin]], replacing [[Michael O'Leary (politician)|Michael O'Leary]], who had resigned the seat after succeeding Cluskey as Labour leader.

The coalition government fell in January 1982 over a budget dispute, and Cluskey was re-elected to the Dáil at the [[February 1982 Irish general election|February 1982 general election]].<ref name=elecs_irl>{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=2660|title=Frank Cluskey|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=11 February 2008|archive-date=10 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070910051129/http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?id=2660|url-status=live}}</ref> When the coalition returned to office after the [[November 1982 Irish general election|November 1982 election]], Cluskey was appointed as [[Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment|Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism]]. He then resigned from the [[European Parliament]], to be replaced by [[Brendan Halligan]].

On 8 December 1983 he resigned as Minister due to a fundamental disagreement over government policy about the Dublin Gas Company.<ref name=cluskey>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1983-12-13/2/|title=Resignation of Member of Government: Announcement by Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (24th Dáil)|date=13 December 1983|access-date=24 January 2020|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|archive-date=17 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817123215/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1983-12-13/2/|url-status=live}}</ref> He retained his [[Dáil]] seat in the [[1987 Irish general election|1987 general election]].

Following his re-election his health deteriorated. He died on 7 May 1989 after a long battle with [[cancer]].<ref name=dib/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{MEP|909|Frank Cluskey}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-civ}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Thomas Stafford (Irish politician)|Thomas Stafford]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Lord Mayor of Dublin]] 
       |years  = 1968–1969}}
{{s-vac|reason = Position suspended|next=[[James O'Keeffe]]<br />{{small|(1974)}} }}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Johnny Geoghegan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection|Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Welfare]] 
       |years  = 1973–1977}}
{{s-non|reason = Office abolished}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Pádraig Flynn]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment|Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism]] 
       |years  = 1982–1983}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[Garret FitzGerald]]}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Brendan Corish]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Leader of the Labour Party (Ireland)|Leader of the Labour Party]] 
       |years  = 1977–1981}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[Michael O'Leary (politician)|Michael O'Leary]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Members of the European Parliament for Ireland (1979–1984)}}
{{19th Government of Ireland}}
{{Ministers for Enterprise, Trade and Employment of Ireland}}
{{Dublin South-Central (Dáil constituency)/TDs}}
{{Dublin Central (Dáil constituency)/TDs}}
{{Labour Party (Ireland)}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cluskey, Frank}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Labour Party (Ireland) MEPs]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Labour Party (Ireland)]]
[[Category:Lord mayors of Dublin]]
[[Category:Members of the 18th Dáil]]
[[Category:Members of the 19th Dáil]]
[[Category:Members of the 20th Dáil]]
[[Category:Members of the 21st Dáil]]
[[Category:Members of the 23rd Dáil]]
[[Category:Members of the 24th Dáil]]
[[Category:Members of the 25th Dáil]]
[[Category:MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1979–1984]]
[[Category:Parliamentary secretaries of the 20th Dáil]]
[[Category:Politicians from County Dublin]]
[[Category:Labour Party (Ireland) TDs]]
[[Category:Ministers for enterprise, trade and employment]]
[[Category:Labour Party (Ireland) local councillors]]
[[Category:Burials at St. Fintan's Cemetery, Sutton]]