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President pays tribute to TK Whitaker, 'as fine an Irishman as there has been'

Updated / Tuesday, 10 Jan 2017 15:43
President Michael D Higgins said TK Whitaker was 'as fine an Irishman as there has been'
President Michael D Higgins said TK Whitaker was 'as fine an Irishman as there has been'

President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to former public servant and economist TK Whitaker, who has died aged 100 in Dublin.

In a statement, the President said: "I have learned with great sadness of the death of Thomas Ken Whitaker, a man who contributed so much to his country and his people."

He said Dr Whitaker's life's work "stands as the embodiment of the finest qualities and aspirations of the Irish people".

The President noted that Dr Whitaker "contributed enormously to the building of an independent Ireland", saying "his seminal work 'Economic Development' made him one of the driving forces behind the First Programme for Economic Expansion 1958-1963".

He also highlighted his role in the search for peace, saying that without his work asserting the principle of popular consent, the Good Friday Agreement would have been unimaginable.

The President added: "I had the privilege and also the great pleasure to know Dr Whitaker. His great energy and intellectual rigour was matched by an irresistible personal charm.

"He was as inspiring as he was impressive, and as fine an Irishman as there has been."

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Described by several taoisigh as the State's finest public servant, Dr Whitaker was named Irish Man of the 20th Century in a public vote in 2001.

His pioneering work in the Department of Finance set the blueprint for a radical plan that reversed the country's economic woes in the early 1960s.

Dr Whitaker had celebrated his 100th birthday last month.

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Tributes paid to 'a national treasure'

In a statement last night, Taoiseach Enda Kenny described Dr Whitaker as "in every sense a national treasure".

Central Bank Governor Professor Philip Lane has also paid tribute to Dr Whitaker, who served as Central Bank governor from 1969 to 1976. 

Professor Lane said that Dr Whitaker's vision of Ireland as an open, dynamic economy has provided the platform for Irish economic policy for the last 60 years.

He said that during Dr Whitaker's tenure at the Central Bank, he led the modernisation of the bank and the expansion of its mandate.

This enabled the Central Bank to address challenges such as the first oil shock, the modernisation of the domestic financial sector, increased volatility in the international financial system and significant inflationary pressures.  

"He was also a consistent voice in providing independent economic advice to the government throughout this period. In the Central Bank, he is also remembered for important initiatives such as increased opportunities for female staff and reformed management structures," Professor Lane added. 

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said the respect with which Dr Whitaker is held "by politicians of all hues speaks volumes for his legacy as a public servant".

In a statement, Mr Noonan said that by promoting free trade and encouraging inward investment, Dr Whitaker's "influence helped to change the Irish economy for the better", and he thanked him for his contribution to public life in Ireland.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said: "Ireland has always been greater than the sum of its individual parts, but the part played by TK Whitaker has been pivotal and transformative in the development of the modern Irish nation."

Labour leader Brendan Howlin said that Dr Whitaker "was in many ways the father of our economic prosperity and growth. His economic reforms were a model of fearless, far sighted public service."

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