John Bruton

John Bruton was first elected to the Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann) in 1969 at the age of 22 as a member of the Fine Gael Party, becoming Party Leader in 1990 and prime minister of Ireland (Taoiseach) from 1994 to 1997,

He served as Ireland’s Minister for Finance (1981-1982 and 1986-1987), Minister for Industry & Energy (1982-1983), Minister for Trade, Commerce & Tourism (1983-1986) and was Parliamentary Secretary (Junior Minister) from 1973-1977. He has also been opposition spokesman on Agriculture and on Education.

From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Bruton served as the EU's ambassador to the United States.

Currently, John Bruton is Chairman of IFSC Ireland, a private sector body set up to develop the financial services industry in Ireland. He is a member of the board of Ingersoll Rand plc, and of Montpelier Re plc,. He is also a member of the board of the Centre for European Policy Studies. He is a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Transatlantic Relations in Washington, D.C. and a visiting fellow at the European Institute in the London School of Economics.

Mr. Bruton was born in 1947 and graduated from University College Dublin with a Bachelor's degree in economics and politics in 1968 before studying to become a barrister. He was called to the Bar of Ireland in 1972. He holds honorary degrees from Memorial University of Newfoundland and the National University of Ireland.

John Bruton is a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.