Jim Mitchell had been one of the most prominent members of Dáil Éireann over the last 25 years.
Born in Inchicore in Dublin in 1946, he was elected to Dublin City Council in 1974 and became the youngest Lord Mayor of the City when he was only 29- years-old.
First elected to the Dáil in 1977, Mr Mitchell was a cabinet Minister in both Fine Gael-Labour Coalitions during the 1980s. During his Dáil career, he was Minister for Communications (1984-1987), Minister for Transport, Posts & Telegraphs (1982-1984) and Minister for Justice (1981-1982).
Although he never served as a minister after 1987, he retained a high profile, winning acclaim for his handling of the DIRT inquiry into bogus non-resident bank accounts. In contrast to the ongoing Tribunals in Dublin Castle, Mr Mitchell presided over a six-week Inquiry that administered a 'short, sharp, shock' to the Irish banking sector.
As chairman of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, Mr Mitchell achieved a high degree of cross-party support for the inquiry, which eventually resulted in €400m in extra taxes.
He had regularly spoken of the need for Oireachtas reform and was particularly critical of the 'golden circle' of lawyers and the excessive fees that they charge for their services at public inquiries.
Mr Mitchell's health began to deteriorate during this inquiry, although he received a liver transplant and was able to resume full duties.
Mr Mitchell led the challenge to Mr Bruton's leadership, alongside Michael Noonan, in January 2001. While he had been in the running for the leadership initially, he withdrew from the race in advance of the parliamentary party meeting that led to Mr Noonan's election. Mr Noonan subsequently named him Deputy Leader.
Mr Mitchell consistently polled strongly in Dáil elections from 1977 to 2002, despite having to change constituency twice since he was first returned in Dublin-Ballyfermot.
He announced his retirement from national politics in October 1996 but was persuaded to run for the Dáil in 1997 as Fine Gael prospects in Dublin Central looked bleak. He contested the European elections unsuccessfully in 1994 and 1999.
In the recent General Election, Mr Mitchell was vulnerable because of changes in constituency boundaries, and he was one of 22 Fine Gael deputies to lose their seats.
His brother, Gay, who represents Dublin South Central, served as a Junior Minister when John Bruton was Taoiseach.
Jim Mitchell is survived by his wife Patricia, three daughters and two sons.
