Irish politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish politician who has served as the 16th Taoiseach since 2024. He has also been the Leader of Fine Gael since 2024. At age 37, he is the youngest person to become Taoiseach.[1]
Simon Harris | |
---|---|
16th Taoiseach | |
Assumed office 9 April 2024 | |
President | Michael D. Higgins |
Tánaiste | Micheál Martin |
Preceded by | Leo Varadkar |
Leader of Fine Gael | |
Assumed office 24 March 2024 | |
Deputy | |
Preceded by | Leo Varadkar |
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science | |
In office 27 June 2020 – 9 April 2024 | |
Taoiseach | |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Patrick O'Donovan |
Minister for Justice | |
In office 17 December 2022 – 1 June 2023 | |
Taoiseach | Leo Varadkar |
Preceded by | Heather Humphreys |
Succeeded by | Helen McEntee |
Minister for Health | |
In office 6 May 2016 – 27 June 2020 | |
Taoiseach |
|
Preceded by | Leo Varadkar |
Succeeded by | Stephen Donnelly |
Minister of State | |
2014–2016 | Finance |
Teachta Dála | |
Assumed office February 2011 | |
Constituency | Wicklow |
Personal details | |
Born | Greystones, County Wicklow, Ireland | 17 October 1986
Political party | Fine Gael |
Spouse(s) |
Caoimhe Wade (m. 2017) |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Dublin Institute of Technology (attended) |
Before becoming Taoiseach, he was a minister in the government of Ireland from 2016 until 2024. He was the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science from 2020 until his election as Fine Gael leader. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency since 2011. Harris was a Minister of State from 2014 to 2016.[2][3][4]
Harris was born in Greystones, County Wicklow, in 1986, to Bart and Mary Harris.[5][6][7]
Harris studied at St. David's Holy Faith Secondary School, in Greystones. He first became involved in local politics as a fifteen-year-old when he created the North Wicklow Triple A Alliance to help the families of children with autism spectrum disorders and attention deficit disorder.[8] Harris was a member of Fianna Fáil at first,[9] but later joined Fine Gael.[10]
Harris studied journalism and French, at the Dublin Institute of Technology, but dropped out in first year.[7]
Harris was elected to Dáil Éireann in 2011, taking the third seat in the Wicklow constituency.[11] As the youngest deputy in the 31st Dáil, he was selected by Fine Gael to nominate Enda Kenny for Taoiseach.[12]
Harris ran unsuccessfully as a Fine Gael candidate in the South constituency at the 2014 European Parliament election.[4]
Harris was promoted to the position of Minister of State at the Department of Finance in 2014. In May 2016, Harris was appointed to the cabinet as Minister for Health.[13] On the formation of the coalition government in June 2020, Harris was appointed as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.[14] From 2022 to 2023, he was Minister for Justice.
In March 2024, Leo Varadkar resigned as leader of Fine Gael, causing a leadership election. Varadkar said that he would also resign as Taoiseach after the election of the new Fine Gael leader.
More than half of the Fine Gael parliamentary party had announced their support for Harris to be the next leader and all other cabinet ministers had ruled themselves out of the contest. Harris confirmed his plan to run for Fine Gael leader on 21 March 2024.[15] Harris was the only candidate, and he was confirmed as leader at the party's meeting in Athlone the same day.[16][17]
Harris became the 16th Taoiseach on 9 April 2024.[18] He received his appointment as Taoiseach by President Michael D. Higgins shortly afterwards as the youngest in the history of the state.[19]
One of his government's first decisions was the recognition of a Palestinian state on 28 May 2024.[20]
In 2017, he married Caoimhe Wade, a nurse.[21] They have one daughter and one son.[22] Harris has Crohn's disease,[23] but has said it has little impact on his day-to-day life.[24]
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