Editing Chief Secretary for Ireland (section)

==History of the office==
[[File:Chief Secretary's Lodge now Deerfield, Phoenix Park, Dublin. - Flickr - National Library of Ireland on The Commons.jpg|thumb|right|Chief Sectretary's Lodge, Phoenix Park, now the Deerfield Residence of the U.S. Ambassador]]
The dominant position of the Lord Lieutenant at [[Dublin Castle administration in Ireland|Dublin Castle]] had been central to the British administration of the [[Kingdom of Ireland]] for much of its history. [[Poynings' Law (on certification of acts)|Poynings' Law]] in particular meant that the [[Parliament of Ireland]] lacked an independent power of legislation, and the [[British monarchy|Crown]] kept control of executive authority in the hands of the Lord Lieutenant and its own appointees, rather than in the hands of ministers [[responsible government|responsible]] to the Irish parliament.

In 1560, Queen [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I of England and Ireland]] ordered the Lord Lieutenant, the [[Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex|Earl of Sussex]], to appoint [[John Challoner]] of [[Dublin]] as [[Secretary of State for Ireland]] "because at this present there is none appointed to be Clerk of our Council there, and considering how more meet it were, that in our realm there were for our honour one to be our Secretary there for the affairs of our Realm".<ref>Herbert Wood, The Offices of Secretary of State for Ireland and Keeper of the Royal Privy Seal, in Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Section C: Archaeology, Celtic Studies, History, Linguistics, Literature (1928), p. 51</ref> The appointment of a Secretary was intended to both improve Irish administration, and to keep the Lord Lieutenant in line.{{citation needed|date=June 2011}} The role of Secretary of State for Ireland and Chief Secretary of Ireland were originally distinct positions, [[Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester|Thomas Pelham]] being the first individual appointed to both offices concurrently in 1796.<ref>Herbert Wood, The Offices of Secretary of State for Ireland and Keeper of the Royal Privy Seal, in Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Section C: Archaeology, Celtic Studies, History, Linguistics, Literature (1928), p. 55</ref>

Over time, the post of Chief Secretary gradually increased in importance, particularly because of his role as manager of legislative business for the Government in the [[Irish House of Commons]], in which he sat as an [[Member of Parliament (pre-Union Ireland)|MP]]. While the Irish administration was not [[Westminster System|responsible]] to the parliament, it nevertheless needed to manage and influence it in order to ensure the passage of legislation.

Chief Secretary [[Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh|Viscount Castlereagh]] played a key role in the enactment of the [[Acts of Union 1800|Act of Union]] which passed in the Irish Parliament on its second attempt in 1800 through the exercise of patronage and direct bribery.{{citation needed|date=June 2011}} Upon the Union on 1 January 1801, the Kingdom of Ireland was merged into the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] and the Irish parliament ceased to exist. However, the existing system of administration in Ireland continued broadly in place, with the offices of Lord Lieutenant and Chief Secretary retaining their respective roles.

The last Chief Secretary to represent an Irish constituency while in office was [[Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, 1st Baron Carlingford|Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue]], MP for [[County Louth (UK Parliament constituency)|County Louth]], who served from 1868 to 1871.

The last Chief Secretary was Sir [[Hamar Greenwood, 1st Viscount Greenwood|Hamar Greenwood]], who left office in October 1922. The [[Irish Free State]], comprising the greater part of Ireland, would become independent on 6 December 1922. In [[Northern Ireland]], a new [[Government of Northern Ireland (1921–1972)|Government of Northern Ireland]] was established, with a [[Prime Minister of Northern Ireland]]. This government was suspended in 1972, and the position of [[Secretary of State for Northern Ireland]] was created as a position in the [[British cabinet]].