W. T. Cosgrave

William Thomas Cosgrave, (1880-1965) first President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State, became leader by default. Just as the new Irish state was being born, Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins were killed in quick succession. This left the choice for leadership between Richard Mulcahy, the minister of defence and, after Collin’s death, the army commander-in-chief, and Cosgrave, a prominent political veteran in Sinn Féin and active in politics from before 1916. With Mulcahy passed over because it was deemed a civilian leader was needed at this time, Cosgrave became the only choice.

His credentials were exemplary. Having joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913, he fought during the 1916 Easter Rising, was captured and sentenced to death. This sentence was commuted to imprisonment. Whilst in prison he won a seat for Sinn Féin in a 1917 by-election and sat in the first Dáil. Immediately after his release from gaol in 1919 he became Minister of Local Government. He succeeded Michael Collins as Chairman of the Provisional Government and Minister for Finance in 1922. That year he also succeeded Arthur Griffith as president of the Dáil government.

Rather an effective and good chairman than a colourful or charismatic leader, he led the new state during the more turbulent period of its history, when the legislation necessary for the foundation of a stable independent Irish polity needed to be pushed through. In overseeing the establishment of the formal institutions of the state his performance as its first political leader may have been undervalued.

He founded the political party, Cumann na nGaedheal in 1923. In 1935 he became leader of the Fine Gael party, which was formed through a merger of Cumann na nGaedheal and the National Centre Party and the National Guard (Blueshirts) in 1933 and served in that role until 1944.