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T.K. Whitaker: Portrait of a Patriot
In 2002, an 85-year-old former civil servant was voted "Irishman of the Century." Widely regarded as "the architect of modern Ireland," T.K. Whitaker’s life spans the history of the Irish state in whose economic, social, and cultural evolution he played an integral and influential role. Born in Rostrevor, County Down, reared in Drogheda, County Louth, from modest beginnings, T.K. Whitaker’s meteoric rise through the ranks of the civil service saw him at 39 years become the youngest Secretary of the Department of Finance. His was the quiet presence, the rational and informed voice behind many of the most momentous events in recent Irish history. His inspirational paper Programme for Economic Development became the blueprint for Ireland’s regeneration in the 1960s. As Governor in the 1970s, his vision and purpose transformed the Central Bank into a dynamic institution. And, as advisor to Taoiseach Jack Lynch and other political leaders, he played a crucial role behind the scenes in the movement towards peace in Northern Ireland. Drawn from in-depth interviews conducted with Dr. Whitaker and his family, as well as exclusive access to his personal papers and correspondence, in Portrait of a Patriot author Anne Chambers reveals the quite extraordinary extent and diversity of T.K. Whitaker’s work on behalf of the Irish State; his relationship with Irish and international political figures such as De Valera, Lemass, MacBride, Costello, Sweetman, Lynch, Haughey, FitzGerald, O’Neill, and Whitelaw; and his policy struggles with governments and individual ministers. This personal and intimate biography also introduces Ken Whitaker the family man, his motivation, humor, and compassion; the personal losses endured; and the many highlights enjoyed. T.K. Whitaker’s life story is a model of excellence, integrity, and public duty, and as such is all the more relevant today when such practical patriotism seems largely absent in 21st-century Ireland.
450 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 2014
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About the author
Anne Chambers
40 books21 followersAnne Chambers is an Irish biographer, novelist and screenplay writer who lives and works in Dublin. She is best known for her biography of the 16th-century Irish Pirate Queen, Gráinne (Grace) O'Malley.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 2, 2021
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3612554.html
I cannot say that I knew Ken Whitaker well, but he and my grandfather were close colleagues and he was an occasional presence at extended family parties in Dublin from my childhood. The last time I spoke to him, I cannot remember when, but he was already very old, he told me that in the late 1930s he had shared an office with my grandfather, who at the time was dating my future grandmother, also a civil servant. “He spoke to her on the phone in German so that I wouldn’t understand - but he didn’t realise that I spoke German too!”
Anne Chambers, the author of this book, did know Whitaker well; I’ve read a couple of her other biographies, of Eleanor, Countess of Desmond and the pirate queen Granuaile, who both lived in the sixteenth century. This is much better than the other two, based on primary documentation and conversations with the subject and others who knew him.
A study of any senior official in the new Irish government as it underwent the generational shift in the decades after independence would be interesting enough. But of course Whitaker was much more important to Irish history than as a mere senior administrator. Three years into his tenure at the top of the Department of Finance, the government published what in the UK would be called a White Paper, with Whitaker's name on it, with the title "Economic Development", making a powerful case for the Irish state to raise its game in terms of public spending and fiscal planning, and encouraging foreign investment. The adoption of the plan gave Ireland a much needed boost, not just of wealth but of confidence, after almost four decades of what we would now call austerity. For once, Ireland was doing economics, rather than having economics done to it.
Chambers is very good on the detail of how Whitaker's career progressed, and how he managed to acquire the necessary political capital to successfully get major policy initiatives through a very conservative system. It's no big mystery; he just happened to possess a powerful combination of colossal intelligence combined with immense personal charm and modesty. (These are not of course assets that everyone has, even senior civil servants.) The book is disappointing though on Whitaker's intellectual journey. As a recruit direct from high school, he had had no third-level education when he became a civil servant and invested much time in distant learning through the University of London. It would have been really interesting to know what Whitaker actually learned, and to trace the roots of his economic theory, especially since it turned out to be so successful in practice.
The personal glimpses are very interesting. Whitaker was born in Rostrevor, though moved to Drogheda in the 1920s. His Northern links remained very strong, and he personally brokered the first Lemass / O'Neill meeting in 1965. He continued to send sensible advice on Northern Ireland to successive Irish governments until the end of the century. I cannot think of another person operating at that level of politics in the Republic who genuinely took the same level of interest in Northern Ireland over a period of decades. I cannot think of any equivalent level of long-term engagement with and commitment to Northern Ireland from any senior English, Scottish or Welsh political figure at all.
I can't say that this book would have huge interest outside Ireland, but it's very interesting for anyone wanting to understand the trajectory of the Irish state in the third quarter of the twentieth century.
I cannot say that I knew Ken Whitaker well, but he and my grandfather were close colleagues and he was an occasional presence at extended family parties in Dublin from my childhood. The last time I spoke to him, I cannot remember when, but he was already very old, he told me that in the late 1930s he had shared an office with my grandfather, who at the time was dating my future grandmother, also a civil servant. “He spoke to her on the phone in German so that I wouldn’t understand - but he didn’t realise that I spoke German too!”
Anne Chambers, the author of this book, did know Whitaker well; I’ve read a couple of her other biographies, of Eleanor, Countess of Desmond and the pirate queen Granuaile, who both lived in the sixteenth century. This is much better than the other two, based on primary documentation and conversations with the subject and others who knew him.
A study of any senior official in the new Irish government as it underwent the generational shift in the decades after independence would be interesting enough. But of course Whitaker was much more important to Irish history than as a mere senior administrator. Three years into his tenure at the top of the Department of Finance, the government published what in the UK would be called a White Paper, with Whitaker's name on it, with the title "Economic Development", making a powerful case for the Irish state to raise its game in terms of public spending and fiscal planning, and encouraging foreign investment. The adoption of the plan gave Ireland a much needed boost, not just of wealth but of confidence, after almost four decades of what we would now call austerity. For once, Ireland was doing economics, rather than having economics done to it.
Chambers is very good on the detail of how Whitaker's career progressed, and how he managed to acquire the necessary political capital to successfully get major policy initiatives through a very conservative system. It's no big mystery; he just happened to possess a powerful combination of colossal intelligence combined with immense personal charm and modesty. (These are not of course assets that everyone has, even senior civil servants.) The book is disappointing though on Whitaker's intellectual journey. As a recruit direct from high school, he had had no third-level education when he became a civil servant and invested much time in distant learning through the University of London. It would have been really interesting to know what Whitaker actually learned, and to trace the roots of his economic theory, especially since it turned out to be so successful in practice.
The personal glimpses are very interesting. Whitaker was born in Rostrevor, though moved to Drogheda in the 1920s. His Northern links remained very strong, and he personally brokered the first Lemass / O'Neill meeting in 1965. He continued to send sensible advice on Northern Ireland to successive Irish governments until the end of the century. I cannot think of another person operating at that level of politics in the Republic who genuinely took the same level of interest in Northern Ireland over a period of decades. I cannot think of any equivalent level of long-term engagement with and commitment to Northern Ireland from any senior English, Scottish or Welsh political figure at all.
I can't say that this book would have huge interest outside Ireland, but it's very interesting for anyone wanting to understand the trajectory of the Irish state in the third quarter of the twentieth century.
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February 23, 2017Did not finish.
March 31, 2017
An excellent memoir of a man I think we would all like to be.
I can see now why he was voted "Greatest Irishman of the 20th Century"
I can see now why he was voted "Greatest Irishman of the 20th Century"
April 23, 2017
This personal biography of the greatest public servant in modern Irish history is an excellent, detailed account of T.K. Whitaker’s life. This book covers his role in the modernisation of the Irish economy, his interventions in Northern Ireland and all the other aspects of his service to Ireland. Indeed, ‘portrait’ is the best word to describe this biography, as it forgoes strict objectivity to give a more intimate picture of the man and his views. It is occasionally slow, but this does not mar the pleasant, enjoyable, almost conversational nature of this book, and it is one I would happily recommend to a friend.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews