{{Short description|Irish politician (1931–2018)}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | office1 = Minister of State | suboffice1 = Posts and Telegraphs | subterm1 = 1981–1982 | office2 = Teachta Dála | term_start2 = June 1981 | term_end2 = June 1997 | constituency2 = Donegal North-East | term_start4 = July 1977 | term_end4 = June 1981 | constituency4 = Donegal | term_start5 = October 1961 | term_end5 = July 1977 | constituency5 = Donegal North-East | birth_date = {{birth date|1931|7|26|df=y}} | birth_place = Lifford, County Donegal, Ireland | death_date = {{death date and age|2018|1|8|1931|7|26|df=y}} | death_place = Lifford, County Donegal, Ireland | party = Fine Gael | occupation = Butcher | spouse = {{marriage|Rosaleen Harte|1953}} | children = 9, including Jimmy }} '''Patrick Harte''' {{Post-nominals|country=UK|size=100%|OBE}} (26 July 1931 – 8 January 2018) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served for 36 years as Teachta Dála (TD) for Donegal North-East.<ref name=oireachtas_db>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Patrick-D-Harte.D.1961-10-11/|title=Patrick Harte|work=Oireachtas Members Database|date=30 April 1997|access-date=30 September 2012|archive-date=7 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107224950/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Patrick-D-Harte.D.1961-10-11|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Early life and family== He was born in 1931 in Lifford, County Donegal. His son, Jimmy Harte, is a former Labour Party Senator.
==Political career== He was first elected to the 17th Dáil at the 1961 general election, and re-elected at eleven further general elections.<ref name=elecs_irl>{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3935|title=Paddy Harte|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=30 September 2012|archive-date=25 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925024504/http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3935|url-status=live}}</ref> From 1981 to 1982, he was Minister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs in Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald's government. At the 1989 European Parliament election, he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Connacht–Ulster constituency. He temporarily lost the Fine Gael whip when he abstained in a vote on the Regulation of Information (Services Outside the State For Termination of Pregnancies) Bill 1995 proposed by the government.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tynan |first1=Maol Muire |title=FG expected to expel Harte over Dail vote |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1995/0404/Pg007.html#Ar00701 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=4 April 1995 |page=7 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Tynan |first1=Maol Muire |title=Harte is expected to be back in 6 months |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1995/0406/Pg008.html#Ar00805 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=6 April 1995 |page=8 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
He lost his seat at the 1997 general election to the Independent Fianna Fáil candidate Harry Blaney, and unsuccessfully contested the 1997 election to the 21st Seanad for the Industrial and Commercial Panel. After this, he retired from politics.
==Post-retirement== After his retirement, he was involved in a number of projects, including (along with Glenn Barr) the Messines Island of Ireland Peace Park in West Flanders in Belgium. This park was officially opened in November 1998 by President Mary McAleese, Queen Elizabeth II and King Albert II of Belgium to commemorate all Irishmen who died in World War I.
Harte died the morning of 8 January 2018 at the age of 86.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/news/home/290406/former-donegal-td-paddy-harte-passes-away.html|title=Former Donegal TD Paddy Harte passes away|date=8 January 2018|newspaper=Donegal Democrat|access-date=8 January 2018|archive-date=8 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108153758/http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/news/home/290406/former-donegal-td-paddy-harte-passes-away.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Dáil heard tributes to him in December 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=Death of Former Members: Expressions of Sympathy |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2018-12-12/20/ |work=Dáil Debates. Vol. 976 No. 5 |date=12 December 2018}}</ref>
==Awards== He was appointed an Honorary OBE in October 2006 for his ecumenical works. He received an honorary doctorate of laws from the National University of Ireland in September 2007 in recognition of his contribution to politics.
==Publications== *{{cite book|first=Paddy |last=Harte |title=Young Tigers and Mongrel Foxes: A life in politics |publisher=The O'Brien Press |location=Dublin |year=2005}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before = Mark Killilea Jnr}} {{s-ttl|title = Minister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs |years = 1981–1982}} {{s-aft|after = Terry Leyden}} {{s-end}} {{Donegal (Dáil constituency)/TDs}} {{Donegal North-East (Dáil constituency)/TDs}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harte, Paddy}} Category:1931 births Category:2018 deaths Category:Fine Gael TDs Category:Members of Donegal County Council Category:Honorary officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Members of the 17th Dáil Category:Members of the 18th Dáil Category:Members of the 19th Dáil Category:Members of the 20th Dáil Category:Members of the 21st Dáil Category:Members of the 22nd Dáil Category:Members of the 23rd Dáil Category:Members of the 24th Dáil Category:Members of the 25th Dáil Category:Members of the 26th Dáil Category:Members of the 27th Dáil Category:People educated at St Eunan's College Category:People from Lifford Category:20th-century Irish farmers Category:Ministers of state of the 22nd Dáil Category:Fine Gael local councillors