Noël Browne
Noël Browne | |
|---|---|
| Minister for Health | |
| In office 18 February 1948 – 11 April 1951 | |
| Taoiseach | John A. Costello |
| Preceded by | James Ryan |
| Succeeded by | John A. Costello |
| Leader of the National Progressive Democrats | |
| In office 23 July 1958 – 4 April 1963 | |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office June 1981 – February 1982 | |
| Constituency | Dublin North-Central |
| In office June 1977 – June 1981 | |
| Constituency | Dublin Artane |
| In office June 1969 – February 1973 | |
| Constituency | Dublin South-East |
| In office March 1957 – April 1965 | |
| Constituency | Dublin South-East |
| In office February 1948 – May 1954 | |
| Constituency | Dublin South-East |
| Senator | |
| In office 1 June 1973 – 16 June 1977 | |
| Constituency | Dublin University |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 December 1915 Waterford, Ireland |
| Died | 21 May 1997 (aged 81) Baile na hAbhann, County Galway, Ireland |
| Political party | Independent (1951–1953, 1955–1958, 1977–1981, 1982–1997) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Spouse |
Phyllis Harrison (m. 1947) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Beaumont College |
| Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin |
Noël Christopher Browne (20 December 1915 – 21 May 1997) was an Irish politician who served as Minister for Health from 1948 to 1951 and Leader of the National Progressive Democrats from 1958 to 1963. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1948 to 1954, 1957 to 1973 and 1977 to 1982, and held a Senate seat for the Dublin University constituency from 1973 to 1977.
He holds the distinction of being one of only seven TDs to be appointed to the cabinet on the start of their first term in the Dáil. As Minister for Health, Browne is credited with waging a successful total war on tuberculosis. However, his attempt to implement the Mother and Child Scheme in effect brought down the First Inter-Party Government of Taoiseach John A. Costello in 1951 and remains one of the greatest political controversies in modern Irish political history.
Browne was a well-known but at times, controversial, public representative and managed to be a TD for five political parties (two of which he co-founded), as well as an independent TD. These were Clann na Poblachta (resigned), Fianna Fáil (expelled), National Progressive Democrats (co-founder), Labour Party (resigned) and the Socialist Labour Party (co-founder). Browne is widely acknowledged to have had a propensity for grudges and feuds. However, he is also widely credited as being a progressive force in Ireland who advocated against corporal punishment and apartheid while supporting contraceptives, abortion and the LGBT community many decades before those positions became mainstream.