Civil servant TK Whitaker had public interest at heart always
IN 2001 RTÉ viewers selected TK Whitaker as “Irishman of the century”, ahead of the likes of Michael Collins, Éamon de Valera, and Seán Lemass. This was a magnificent tribute to the man who played a pivotal role in our country’s economic development during the latter half of the 20th century.
Whitaker belonged to the generation of civil servants recruited in the 1930s. Born in Rostrevor, Co Down, where his father was assistant manager of a factory, Thomas Kenneth “Ken” Whitaker grew up in Drogheda from the age of six.
