Eamon de Valera

Introduction
Early life
Rise to power
Legacy

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Portrait of Eamon De Valera wearing round glasses, a suit, and a striped tie, looking directly at the camera.

At a Glance

Eamon de Valera summary

Related Questions

How close was the Dáil vote that approved the Anglo-Irish Treaty?
How did Eamon de Valera become president of Sinn Féin in 1917?
How did Eamon de Valera describe the oath of allegiance in 1927?
How did Eamon de Valera influence Irish politics after independence?
How did Fianna Fáil win power in Ireland in 1932?
How did Ireland secretly assist Britain and the United States during World War II?
How did World War II affect Ireland compared with countries that fought in the war?
How did protective tariffs fit Eamon de Valera’s plan for Irish self-sufficiency?
How did the 1938 defense agreement help Ireland remain neutral during World War II?
How did the Anglo-Irish Treaty lead to the Irish Civil War?
How did the Irish Civil War end for the anti-treaty forces?
What changes did Eamon de Valera seek in Ireland’s relationship with Britain?
What did Eamon de Valera do during the Irish War of Independence?
What did Eamon de Valera negotiate with Neville Chamberlain in 1938?
What subject did Eamon de Valera teach before entering politics?
What was the economic war between Ireland and Britain?
When and where did Eamon de Valera die?
When and where was Eamon de Valera born?
When did Eamon de Valera become president of Ireland?
When did Eamon de Valera serve as taoiseach of Ireland?
When was Eamon de Valera released from prison after the Easter Rising?
Where did Eamon de Valera go to school in Ireland?
Where did Eamon de Valera grow up after his father died?
Which naval bases did Britain return to Ireland under the Anglo-Irish defense agreement of 1938?
Which side did Eamon de Valera support during the Irish Civil War?
Who succeeded Eamon de Valera as taoiseach in 1959?
Why did Eamon de Valera decide to enter the Dáil in 1927?
Why did Eamon de Valera declare Ireland neutral in World War II?
Why did Eamon de Valera found Fianna Fáil in 1926?
Why did Eamon de Valera join the Irish Volunteers in 1913?
Why did Eamon de Valera leave office as president in 1973?
Why did Eamon de Valera oppose the Anglo-Irish Treaty?
Why did Eamon de Valera resign after the Dáil approved the Anglo-Irish Treaty?
Why did Eamon de Valera stop paying land annuities to Britain?
Why did Eamon de Valera travel to the United States in 1919?
Why did Fianna Fáil lose power in the 1948 Irish election?
Why did Sinn Féin members refuse to take their seats in the British Parliament after the 1918 election?
Why was Eamon de Valera imprisoned by the Irish Free State government?
Why was Eamon de Valera not executed after the Easter Rising?
Why was Eamon de Valera’s work in the League of Nations important?
Who is Micheál Martin?
How did Micheál Martin become taoiseach?

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External Websites

Dictionary of Irish Biography - De Valera, Ã‰amon
BBC - NI 100: Why did de Valera refuse to attend 1921 treaty negotiations?
1914-1918 online - International Encyclopedia of the First World War - Eamon de Valera
Loyola University New Orleans - College of Arts and Sciences - Eamon de Valera and the Making of Ireland (PDF)
La Salle University Digital Commons - Eamon de Valera and the Rivalry that Led to War
National University of Ireland - Centenary of de Valï¿½raï¿½s Chancellorship of NUI
History Ireland - Â‘The Ireland that I would haveÂ’ De Valera and the creation of an Irish national image

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Eamon de Valera - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Eamon de Valera - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Eamon de Valera

Irish politician and patriot

Also known as: Edward de Valera

Written by

Denis Rolleston Gwynn

Research Professor of Modern Irish History, University College, Cork, National University of Ireland, 1946–63. Author of The History of Partition.

Denis Rolleston Gwynn

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 10, 2026 •History

Eamon de Valera (born October 14, 1882, New York, New York, U.S.—died August 29, 1975, Dublin, Ireland) was an Irish politician and patriot who served as taoiseach (prime minister; 1932–48, 1951–54, 1957–59) and president (1959–73) of Ireland. An active revolutionary from 1913, he became president of Sinn Féin in 1917 and founded the Fianna Fáil party in 1926. In 1937 he made his country a “sovereign” state, renamed Ireland, or Éire. His academic attainments also...

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