Phil Hogan (born 4 July 1960) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as European Commissioner for Trade between 2019 and 2020, and previously European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development between 2014 and 2019. He previously served as Irish Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government from 2011 to 2014 and Minister of State at the Department of Finance from 1994 to 1995, as well as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency from 1989 to 2014. Early and private life Hogan was born in Kilkenny in 1960, and grew up on a farm near the village of Tullaroan. He was educated locally in St. Joseph's College, Freshford, and St. Kieran's College, Kilkenny. Afterwards, he attended University College Cork, where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Geography and subsequently a Higher Diploma in Education from the same university. After completing his university studies, he returned to Tullaroan to manage his family farm. During that time period, he also founded an insurance and real estate business in Urlingford in the 1980s. Local politics Hogan first held political office at the age of 22, when he was elected to Kilkenny County Council. He retained that seat in the 1985 Local Elections when he topped the poll in his area. Around the time of his 25th birthday, he was elected Council chairman, the youngest council chairman in the country. He served in this role on two separate occasions, first between 1985–1986 and then between 1989 and 1990. In addition to his local political activities, Hogan was also a member of the South-Eastern Health Board between 1991 and 1999. National politics 1987–1994 From his experience on Kilkenny County Council, he decided to contest the 1987 general election in an unsuccessful bid. Soon afterwards, he was subsequently elected to Seanad Éireann as a senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel, serving between 1987 and 1989. After serving as a Senator in Seanad Éireann for two years, Hogan was subsequently elected to the lower house (Dáil Éireann) for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency in the 1989 general election. During his first few years in the Dáil, he was appointed to a number of key positions in opposition, serving in his first few years as the Opposition Spokesperson for the Food Industry (1989–1991), Consumer Affairs (1991–1993), and subsequently Regional Affairs & European Development (1993–1994). Hogan also worked closely with the Fine Gael