Éamon de Valera

de Valera c. 1920s, U.S. Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division, ID cph.3b15291.

Birth Name: George de Valero

Date of Birth: 14 October, 1882

Place of Birth: New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Death: 29 August, 1975

Place of Death: Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland

Ethnicity:
*father – Spanish, possibly other
*mother – Irish

Éamon de Valera was an American-born Irish politician and statesman. A vital figure in the history of the Republic of Ireland, he was a commandant at Boland’s Mill during the 1916 Easter Rising. He served as President of Dáil Éireann, from 1 April, 1919 to 26 August, 1931; President of the Irish Republic, from 26 August, 1921 to 9 January, 1922; Taoiseach, from 29 December, 1937 to 18 February, 1948, from 13 June, 1951 to 2 June, 1954, and again, from 20 March, 1957 to 23 June, 1959; and was also the third President of Ireland, from 25 June, 1959 to 24 June, 1973, among many other duties.

His mother, Catherine “Kate” (Coll) Wheelwright, was an Irish emigrant, from Bruree, County Limerick. His father, Juan Vivión de Valera Acosta, was a sculptor, who was listed on Éamon’s birth certificate as having been born in Basque Country, Spain, or who may have been Cuban. There is some confusion about his father’s origins (see for example this).

His father died when he was very young. Éamon was then taken to Ireland by his uncle Ned when he was two, and was raised mostly in Bruree, County Limerick.

Éamon was married to Sinéad Ní Fhlannagáin (or Jane O’Flanagan in English), until her death, with whom he had seven children.

Éamon’s paternal grandfather was named Juan de Valera (the son of Juan Manuel de Valera).

Éamon’s paternal grandmother was named Amelia Acosta.

Éamon’s maternal grandfather was named Patrick Coll.

Éamon’s maternal grandmother was named Elizabeth Carroll.

Source: Genealogy of Éamon de Valera – https://www.geni.com