Jennifer Whitmore (born June 1974) is an Irish

Social Democrats Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, s ...

politician who has been a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...

(TD) for the

Wicklow Wicklow ( ; , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; ) is the county town of County Wicklow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had ...

constituency since the 2020 general election.

Early life and education

Whitmore is from

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

. She gained two diplomas at the

Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology The Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT; ) was an institute of technology, located in Galway, Ireland. In April 2022, it was formally dissolved, and its functions were transferred to Atlantic Technological University (ATU). Now a con ...

and later graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in Biological Science and Ecology from the

University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

. During the ten years she resided in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, she studied Environmental Law at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

Career

Whitmore has worked in both local and international ecology and environmentalism as well as with the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

, Australia. In 2015, she founded the East Wicklow Rivers Trust. She was elected to represent the

Greystones Greystones () is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies on Ireland's east coast, south of Bray and south of Dublin city centre and has a population of 22,009, according to the 2022 census. The town is border ...

local electoral area on the

Wicklow County Council Wicklow County Council () is the local authority of County Wicklow, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning an ...

, following the 2014 local elections. In July 2015, she helped co-found the Social Democrats as a party and became the party's Spokesperson for Children. Whitmore was elected as a Social Democrat TD for the

constituency following the 2020 general election. In the election, she came ahead of former Social Democrats TD and leader

Stephen Donnelly Stephen Donnelly (born 14 December 1975) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Health from June 2020 to January 2025. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency from 2011 to 2024. On his election ...

who left the party after just one year, citing difficulties in cooperating with the other leaders. In September 2021, Whitmore tabled a

Just Transition Just transition is a concept that emerged in the 1980s through efforts by U.S. trade unions to protect workers' rights and livelihoods as economies shift to sustainable production, primarily protecting workers affected by environmental regulati ...

Bill in the Dáil; the Bill was deliberately almost identical to one the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

had tabled in 2017 while in opposition but had been voted down. At the time, Green leader

Eamon Ryan Eamon Michael Ryan (born 28 July 1963) is an Irish former Green Party politician who served as Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport from June 2020 to January 2025, and was Leader of the Green Par ...

called their proposed bill a "critical piece of the architecture" of any policy on climate action. One amendment Whitmore did make however was to define the term "Just Transition", as the previous version of the bill did not. Whitmore said the bill would define "just transition" as a green transition that ensures the economic and social consequences of the climate emergency are managed to maximise "opportunities of decent work for all, reduce inequalities, promote

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

, and support industries, workers and communities negatively affected". At the

2024 general election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2024 United Nations Security Council election * 2024 national electoral calendar * 2024 local electo ...

, Whitmore was re-elected to the Dáil.

Personal life

Whitmore lives in

Delgany Delgany () is a small rural village in County Wicklow in Ireland, located on the R762 road which connects to the N11 road (Ireland), N11 road at the Glen of the Downs. It is about south of Dublin city centre. While it is an older more rural se ...

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

, with her husband Tony and their four children.

References

External links

Social Democrats profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitmore, Jennifer 1974 births Living people Alumni of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology Alumni of Ulster University Irish women environmentalists Irish women scientists Members of Wicklow County Council Members of the 33rd Dáil 21st-century women Teachtaí Dála Social Democrats (Ireland) TDs University of Sydney alumni Irish emigrants to Australia Independent local councillors in the Republic of Ireland Social Democrats (Ireland) local councillors Members of the 34th Dáil Women ecologists