A notable failure was his attempt to reverse the provision of the 1937 Constitution in relation to the electoral system. On retiring as Taoiseach in 1959, he proposed that the Proportional Representation system enshrined in that constitution should be replaced. De Valera argued that Proportional Representation had been responsible for the instability that had characterised much of the post-war period. A constitutional referendum to ratify this was defeated by the people. One aspect of de Valera's legacy is that since the foundation of the state, a de Valera has nearly always served in Dáil Éireann. Éamon de Valera served until 1959, and his son, Vivion de Valera, was a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1945 to 1981. Éamon Ó Cuív, his grandson, served as a member of the Dáil from 1992 to 2024 (previously having served in the Seanad from 1989 to 1992) with one stint as deputy leader of Fianna Fáil, while his granddaughter, Síle de Valera, is also former TD, with both having served in ministries in the Irish Government.
A notable failure was his attempt to reverse the provision of the 1937 Constitution in relation to the electoral system. On retiring as Taoiseach in 1959, he proposed that the Proportional Representation system enshrined in that constitution should be replaced. De Valera argued that Proportional Representation had been responsible for the instability that had characterised much of the post-war period. A constitutional referendum to ratify this was defeated by the people. One aspect of de Valera's legacy is that since the foundation of the state, a de Valera has nearly always served in Dáil Éireann. Éamon de Valera served until 1959, and his son, Vivion de Valera, was a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1945 to 1981. Éamon Ó Cuív, his grandson, served as a member of the Dáil from 1992 to 2024 (previously having served in the Seanad from 1989 to 1992) with one stint as deputy leader of Fianna Fáil, while his granddaughter, Síle de Valera, is also former TD, with both having served in ministries in the Irish Government.