In the course of a long and productive life, Tom O'Higgins was committed to the rule of law and to the creation of a just and caring society. He served the State as a TD, a Government Minister and Chief Justice, before becoming a member of the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg. In his private life, he was devoted to his wife, his seven children and his extended family.
A liberal and a constitutional nationalist, Mr O'Higgins was a strong advocate of the need for a meeting of hearts and minds between the communities on this island. As Minister for Health in the second Inter-party government of 1954/57, he established the Voluntary Health Insurance scheme, which became a template for similar developments in other countries. He went on to challenge Eamon de Valera in the presidential election of 1966 and helped to revive the fortunes of Fine Gael when he came within 10,000 votes of a shock victory.
Regarded as a radical politician within conservative-leaning Fine Gael, he supported the Just Society policies published by Mr Justice Declan Costello in the mid-1960s and made common cause with Dr Garret FitzGerald and others who sought to modernise the party. A successful barrister and a thoughtful, cautious politician, he was persuaded to contest the position of President again in 1973 but was decisively beaten by Erskine Childers. Mr O'Higgins went on to become president of the Supreme Court where a number of his judgments facilitated extradition to Northern Ireland for terrorist offences.
Politics was in his blood. Nephew of the assassinated Minister for Home Affairs, Kevin O'Higgins, in the first Cosgrave Government, he was son of Thomas F. O'Higgins TD, founder of the Army Comrades Association (the Blueshirts) and a brother of Michael O'Higgins TD. But he regarded tradition as the beginning of a process, not the end. He was a strong supporter of the need for social and economic innovation in the Republic.
And he favoured the establishment of an inclusive North/South dialogue so that Irish society could achieve its potential in a peaceful fashion.
A member of the Council of Europe, he campaigned in favour of Ireland's membership of the EEC. His long-standing interest and involvement in European affairs led to his being appointed as a member of the European Court in 1985. While there, his social conscience was again reflected in key court judgments. Tom O'Higgins had an easy familiarity of manner and a powerful sense of public service. The combination enriched his own life and worked to the benefit of society in general.