Frederick Boland

Frederick Boland I Clongowes 1918-1921

Frederick Boland (1904-85), diplomat, president of the United Nations General Assembly and chancellor of Dublin University, was a native of Dublin, who attended Clongowes in 1918-21. He was a prize-winning student at TCD and King’s Inns, and won scholarships to Harvard and Chicago University, before joining the Department of External Affairs as its first cadet in 1929. His first posting was to Paris, and after a spell in charge of foreign trade in the Department of Industry and Commerce, he returned to External Affairs, becoming secretary in 1945. He greatly increased the influence and stature of the department in the civil service. During World War II, he played a major role in ensuring Ireland’s pro-Allied form of neutrality. Afterwards, he did much to reduce Ireland’s diplomatic isolation, encouraging involvement in the initial processes of European integration, such as OEEC and the Council of Europe. In 1950 he became ambassador in London and from 1956 Ireland’s first permanent representative at the UN in New York. He was an outstanding diplomat, who did much to formulate and gain respect for Ireland’s independent stance in the Cold War. Elected president of the General Assembly in 1960-1, he famously broke his gavel calling Nikita Khrushchev to order. He was offered, but declined the post of acting secretary general, following Dag Hammarskjöld’s death in 1961. On retirement, he became chancellor of Dublin University, held numerous directorships, was president of the Irish Society for Autistic Children and chaired both the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace and the National Industrial Economic Council.