the party. O'Higgins was key in battering the new alliance. Representing the National Guard in the negotiation phase, he became part of Fine Gael's first national executive and sat on its Dáil front bench. In September 1933, the Gardai raided the National Guard's Dublin headquarters. In response, O'Higgins and Desmond FitzGerald led other Fine Gael TDs in wearing the blue shirt of the National Guard in the Dáil chamber. In February 1934, at Fine Gael's first national convention, O'Higgins denounced Fianna Fáil as ‘the vanguard of the communist policy here’, and called Éamon de Valera an ‘arch-communist agent’. O'Higgins was amongst the Fine Gael leaders more open to the introduction of Corporatism policies being pushed by members of the Blueshirts such as James Hogan, Michael Tierney and Ernest Blythe. In Fine Gael O'Duffy lasted only a year as leader before being replaced by Cosgrave. O'Higgins was made vice-president of the party and in October 1936 reorganised the Blueshirts, abolishing their status as a semi-independent grouping within Fine Gael and made their officers directly responsible to the party's standing committee. It marked the general trend of winding down the Blueshirts and merging them into the mainstream of the party. During World War II, O'Higgins defended the right of James Dillon to speak out against the party's stance of supporting Irish neutrality alongside Fianna Fáil. Dillon wished to see Ireland join the Allies against the Axis powers. He became parliamentary leader of Fine Gael in 1944, while the former leader, Richard Mulcahy, was attempting to get elected to Seanad Éireann and retain his position. Return to government During the 1948 general election, O'Higgins left the Laois–Offaly constituency in order to allow his son Tom O'Higgins to successful stand there. O'Higgins stood for Cork Borough instead. In the same election, O'Higgins' other son Michael O'Higgins was also elected for Dublin South-West. In 1948, he joined the government of John A. Costello as Minister for Defence. He served as Minister for Industry and Commerce from March 1951 to June 1951. O'Higgins died while still in office in 1953. On 3 March 1954, Stephen Barrett of Fine Gael won the by-election for the vacant seat. Personal life On 17 October 1915, O'Higgins married Agnes McCarthy of Cork. They had four sons and one daughter together. See also Families in the Oireachtas Auditors of the Literary and Historical Society (University College Dublin) References 1890 births 1953