Background
William Thomas Cosgrave was born on June 6, 1880 in Dublin, Ireland
William Thomas Cosgrave was born on June 6, 1880 in Dublin, Ireland
Consgrave was a member of
the Dublin Corporation from 1909 to 1922, and had espoused the cause of Sinn Fein when he joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913.
He sided with the minority against the leadership of John Redmond in 1914, took part in the Easter Rebellion in 1916, and was imprisoned in Wales until July 1917.
Freed a year later, he was elected
member for Kilkenny in the DáilDail Eireann that declared for a republic.
Eamon de Valera and Cosgrave disagreed on the acceptance of the treaty.
Until 1927 de Valera's party did not send delegates to the DáilDail Eireann, although they ran for office.
Thus Cosgrave's government had little opposition.
But Cosgrave introduced the Electoral Amendment bill, which forced de Valera's
Republicans to accept the responsibilities of office when they were elected.
As a result, de Valera and his supporters became the official opposition party,
under the name of Fianna Fáil. Fail.
An election shortly afterward left Cosgrave without a clear majority, and he was obliged to form a coalition government.
Both as president and as leader of the opposition, Cosgrave fostered good relations between Great Britain and the Free State. De Valera continued to fight
for an independent republic, while Cosgrave served in the Free State government.
In 1932 Cosgrave and his Fine Gael, or United Ireland, Party were defeated as a result of the economic disorganization caused by the depression of the 1930's and also as a result of Cosgrave's strong measures against the Irish Republican Army.
He was a member of the Dublin Corporation.
