Eamon de Valera
About Eamon de Valera
The dominant figure of 20th century Irish politics. De Valera was a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising and survived execution because he was an American citizen. He led Ireland through the War of Independence and the Civil War. As Taoiseach and later President, he kept Ireland neutral during World War II, a controversial decision. De Valera drafted the 1937 Irish Constitution, which claimed the whole island of Ireland. He served as President from 1959 to 1973. De Valera was a austere, mathematical, and religious figure who shaped modern Ireland. He died in 1975 at age 92.
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