Whitaker, Thomas Kenneth (1916– )

Irish civil servant. He was a hugely influential secretary of the Department of Finance 1956–69 and governor of the Central Bank 1969–76. He was later chancellor of the National University of Ireland 1976–96, president of the Royal Irish Academy 1985–87, and became a member of Ireland's Council of State in 1991. Whitaker is credited with the authorship of ‘Economic Development’ (1958), which turned the Republic of Ireland's economic policy from one of isolationism and protection to free trade, and is regarded as one of the most influential documents in modern Irish history.