MacBride, Seán

MacBride, Seán

(born Jan. 26, 1904, Paris, France—died Jan. 15, 1988, Dublin, Ire.) Irish statesman. Born to Irish patriots—his mother was William Butler Yeats's beloved Maud Gonne (1866–1953), and his father was Maj. John MacBride, executed for his part in the 1916 Easter Rising—he became chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army at age 24, but he eventually accepted the fact of partition and the futility of warfare. In 1936 he founded the Irish Republican Party; he served in the Irish legislature (1947–58) and as minister of external affairs (1948–51). He was the first chairman of Amnesty International (1961–75). He also served as UN assistant secretary-general for South West Africa and Namibia (1973–77). In 1974 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for his efforts on behalf of human rights.