James Dooge
Encyclopedia
James Clement Dooge was an Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 politician, engineer, climatologist, hydrologist and academic. Dooge had a profound effect on the debate on climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...

, in the world of hydrology
Hydrology
Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability...

 and in politics in the formation of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

.

Dooge lived a multifaceted existence with his roles including a period as Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ireland)
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is the senior minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Government of Ireland. Its headquarters are at Iveagh House, on St Stephen's Green in Dublin; "Iveagh House" is often used as a metonym for the department as a whole.The current...

, Acting President of Ireland (Presidential Commission
Presidential Commission (Ireland)
The Presidential Commission is the collective vice-presidency of Ireland.-Membership:Three members serve on the Presidential Commission.* Chief Justice – President of the Supreme Court* Ceann Comhairle – Presiding officer of Dáil Éireann...

), chairman of the report which led to the Single European Act
Single European Act
The Single European Act was the first major revision of the 1957 Treaty of Rome. The Act set the European Community an objective of establishing a Single Market by 31 December 1992, and codified European Political Cooperation, the forerunner of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy...

 and the Treaty of Maastricht, Chairman of the Irish Senate
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...

, Professor of Engineering in University College Cork and University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...

, President of the International Council for Science
International Council for Science
The International Council for Science , formerly the International Council of Scientific Unions, was founded in 1931 as an international non-governmental organization devoted to international co-operation in the advancement of science...

, President of the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...

 and Chairman of the Irish Film Board
Irish Film Board
The Irish Film Board is Ireland’s national film agency and major film funding body. It was recommended for abolition by the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes in 2009.-Formative years:...

.

Dooge was a member of the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...

 and the Fellowship of Engineering
Royal Academy of Engineering
-Overview: is the UK’s national academy of engineering. The Academy brings together the most successful and talented engineers from across the engineering sectors for a shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in engineering....

. He worked as an expert consultant to a wide range of specialized United Nations agencies including UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

, World Meteorological Organization
World Meteorological Organization
The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...

 (WMO), United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme coordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its...

 (UNEP), and the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...

 (FAO). He also acted in an expert consultancy role to DGXII (Research) at the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....

.

He is best known in Ireland as only the second Senator to be appointed to the cabinet. In the world of academia and hydrology he is known for his numerous publications in the field with unit hydrograph theory developed by Dooge in 1959 and is generally regarded as a pioneer in the field. His work in Europe through the Dooge Committee led to the formation of the SEA and the Treaty of Maastricht.

Upon his death in 2010, UNESCO-IHE
UNESCO-IHE
The UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education is an international institute for water education that was created in 2003 from the previous IHE. This in turn grew out of the International Course in Hydraulic Engineering , whose name was changed in 1976 to International Institute for Hydraulic and...

 described him as a "towering figure and pioneer in hydrology" whilst the Chancellor of the NUI
NUI
NUI as an acronym may refer to:*National University of Ireland*Natural User Interface*Normally unmanned installation*No User Interface*New User Interface*Novell Users International*Novell Users International - France*Network Users Institute...

, Dr. Maurice Manning
Maurice Manning
Maurice Manning is a former Irish Fine Gael politician. Manning was a member of the Oireachtas for 21 years, serving in both the Dáil and the Seanad. Since August 2002 he has been President of the Irish Human Rights Commission...

, described him as "that rare phenomenon in Irish life, a public intellectual whose life was devoted, without posture, to the public service.” Professor John Sweeney who was one of the scientists as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...

 honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...

 in 2007 described him as "perhaps one of the most important, prolific and distinguished scientists of the past generation."

Early life, career and academia

James Dooge was born in Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in 1922. He was educated in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 before moving to Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...

 and was educated by the Christian Brothers there. Dooge's father was an engineer and so were other relatives and at school Dooge convinced the authorities to bring in an Applied Mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...

 teacher in to tutor him on the subject.

He went on to University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...

 (here he was awarded the Pierce Malone Scholarship in Theory of Structures and Strength of Materials) and qualified as an engineer. In 1942 he obtained a job with the Office of Public Works
Office of Public Works
The Office of Public Works is a State Agency of the Department of Finance in the Republic of Ireland...

 and in 1946 he began working with the Electricity Supply Board. Between 1954 and 1956 he was research associate at the Department of Civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...

 at University of Iowa and obtained a masters. Back working for the ESB in Ireland in 1956, he worked on a number of projects on the River Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...

. In 1958 Dooge became Professor of Civil engineering at University College Cork. In 1970 he became a Professor at University College Dublin. Between 1984 and 1987 Dooge worked at the Department of Engineering Hydrology at University College Galway
National University of Ireland, Galway
The National University of Ireland, Galway is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland...

. From 1988 he worked at University College Dublin at the Centre for Water Resources Research.

Hydrology

With numerous publications on the subject, he is credited with turning hydrology an empirical technology into the science it is today. Alongside fellow Irishman Professor Eamon Nash, he was the founder of what today is called systems hydrology in the early sixties.

In the sixties, Professor Dooge was active in developing an international network of hydrology scientists and engineers that stretched from the USA to the then USSR. "These contacts were very beneficial, enabling research taking place from all over the world to link up in meaningful ways and, in a sense, helping establish an international hydrological community. Initially, we were an informal group of six. This grew to the point where we had a committee of 12”. Eventually this led to the establishment of the International Commission on Water Resource Systems within the International Association for Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). He served as its President for several years.

Climate Change

Professor Dooge was involved in some of the earliest work done to identify the causes of climate change. He was heavily involved in the discussions within WMO in 1978 that eventually led to the first World Climate Conference being held in Geneva in 1979. At the discussions a group of four were given two questions; Is there such a thing as a climate problem? And, if there is, is it serious enough to call a world conference of scientists to discuss it?

He served as chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the World Climate Impact Advisory Committee and, on behalf of the UN secretary general, on the International Decade of Natural Disasters Advisory Board.

He witnessed first-hand the phenomenal growth in climate change awareness: "At that first conference the attendance was almost exclusively made up of scientists and engineers whereas, when the second World Climate Conference took place in 1990, the scientists and engineers were joined by a strong contingent of politicians, a sign that interest in the issues had broadened considerably."

In 1990, WMO launched the idea of an International Conference on Water and Climate that would be held as a preparatory meeting for the Rio Summit on the environment and development. Dooge arranged for the Conference to be held in Dublin in January 1992. References are still being made at international gatherings to the “Dublin Conference” as the most influential international conference in the field of water. As chairman the conference adopted the "Dublin Principles" that have been influential in shaping water management policy over the last 20 years.

Political career

As well as having a distinguished career as an academic, Dooge led a very active political life. His great grandfather was the first chairman of first Kingstown County Borough Council. He was a member of Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council is the local authority for the city of Dublin in Ireland. It has 52 members and is the largest local authority in Ireland. Until 2001, it was known as Dublin Corporation.-Legal status:...

 from 1948, gaining notice from the Taoiseach of the time, John A. Costello
John A. Costello
John Aloysius Costello , a successful barrister, was one of the main legal advisors to the government of the Irish Free State after independence, Attorney General of Ireland from 1926–1932 and Taoiseach from 1948–1951 and 1954–1957....

.

From 1961 to 1977 Dooge was a Senator in Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...

, serving as its Cathaoirleach
Cathaoirleach
Cathaoirleach is the title of the chairman of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Ireland. The current Cathaoirleach is Senator Paddy Burke...

 (chairperson) from 1973 to 1977. Dooge worked closely with his colleague Garret FitzGerald
Garret FitzGerald
Garret FitzGerald was an Irish politician who was twice Taoiseach of Ireland, serving in office from July 1981 to February 1982 and again from December 1982 to March 1987. FitzGerald was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and was subsequently elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael TD in 1969. He...

 during the late 1970s in re-organising the Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

 party, establishing the so-called Just Society
Just Society
The idea of a "just society" first gained modern attention when philosophers such as John Stuart Mill asked the question, "What is a 'just society?" Their writings covered several different perspectives including allowing individuals to live their lives as long as they didn't infringe on the...

 wing of the party. As Cathaoirleach, Dooge was one of the three vice Presidents of Ireland (Presidential Commission) and along with the Chief Justice and Cathaoirleach of the Dáil would be called upon to serve the powers of the President should he or she resign or die. This happened twice during Dooge's reign. The first (only the second time in the history of the creation of the office in 1937) followed the death of Erskine Hamilton Childers
Erskine Hamilton Childers
Erskine Hamilton Childers served as the fourth President of Ireland from 1973 until his death in 1974. He was a Teachta Dála from 1938 until 1973...

. The second in 1976 followed the resignation of Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh served as the fifth President of Ireland, from 1974 to 1976. He resigned in 1976 after a clash with the government. He also had a notable legal career, including serving as Chief Justice of Ireland.- Early life :Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, one of four children, was born on 12 February...

 in 1976. In 1977 he retired from politics, choosing to “devote more time to academic concerns and international cooperation in science and engineering”.

In 1981 he made a return to politics and was appointed by the then Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...

 FitzGerald as Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ireland)
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is the senior minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Government of Ireland. Its headquarters are at Iveagh House, on St Stephen's Green in Dublin; "Iveagh House" is often used as a metonym for the department as a whole.The current...

 in the short-lived Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

 led government. The appointment was suggested by FitzGerald's wife who believed only Dooge could stop him frequently interfering in this area. When a new coalition Government was formed in 1982 (which would last until 1987) Dooge declined re-appointment to the post owing to the decline of his sight. Between 1981 and 1987 Dooge returned to Seanad Éireann. He rejected the offer of becoming an European Commissioner
European Commissioner
A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Member within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission...

 offered by FitzGerald.

Dooge was a delegate of Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

 at the New Ireland Forum
New Ireland Forum
The New Ireland Forum was a forum in 1983–84 at which Irish nationalist political parties discussed potential political developments that might alleviate the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The Forum was established by Garret FitzGerald, then Taoiseach, under the influence of John Hume. The Forum was...

 in 1985.

European Integration-Dooge Report

He had a primary role in the intergovernmental building of a report into improving co-operation of the European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...

 (EEC) in 1984 during Ireland's Presidency. His appointment was not without controversy with FitzGerald who proposed the appointment of Dooge insisting with him despite German pressure for their former President, Karl Carstens
Karl Carstens
Karl Carstens was a German politician. He served as President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1979 to 1984.-Biography:...

, to be given the role. This work (The Dooge Report) is credited as helping form the basis of the Single European Act
Single European Act
The Single European Act was the first major revision of the 1957 Treaty of Rome. The Act set the European Community an objective of establishing a Single Market by 31 December 1992, and codified European Political Cooperation, the forerunner of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy...

 and the Treaty of Maastricht with much of the language used the same.

Awards

Dooge received awards for his work in the field of engineering and international affairs.

In 1986 he was awarded with the William Bowie Medal
William Bowie Medal
The William Bowie Medal is awarded annually by the American Geophysical Union for 'outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research"...

 from by the American Geophysical Union
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting of over 50,000 members from over 135 countries. AGU's activities are focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international field of geophysics...

 for "outstanding contribution to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research". In 2000 he was made an International Fellow at the Royal Academy of Engineering
Royal Academy of Engineering
-Overview: is the UK’s national academy of engineering. The Academy brings together the most successful and talented engineers from across the engineering sectors for a shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in engineering....

 as an "outstanding" figure in the science of hydrology. He has also been awarded the Prince Philip Medal
Prince Philip Medal
The Prince Philip Medal is named after HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who is the Senior Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering...

 by the Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....

. In 2005, the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...

 awarded him their gold medal, presented by President Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...

. He was hailed as one of the founding fathers of modern hydrology. The World Meteorological Organization
World Meteorological Organization
The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...

 awarded him their highest prize in 2001, the IMO Prize.
James Dooge Awards
Year Name
1986 William Bowie Medal
William Bowie Medal
The William Bowie Medal is awarded annually by the American Geophysical Union for 'outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research"...

; Recognizing his "outstanding contribution to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research"
1953 Horton Award
2006 International Hydrology Prize
2005 Prince Philip Medal
Prince Philip Medal
The Prince Philip Medal is named after HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who is the Senior Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering...

; Recognizing "him as an outstanding figure in the field of hydrology"
2001 World Meteorological Organization
World Meteorological Organization
The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...

, International Meteorological Prize
2005 Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...

Gold Medal (by President of Ireland, Mary McAlease)

Hydrology

  • (1973) Linear theory of hydrologic systems (Technical bulletin / United States Department of Agriculture) by Dooge J.C.I. Publisher: Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (1973)
  • (1992) Advances in Theoretical Hydrology: A Tribute to James Dooge (European Geophysical Society Series on Hydrological Sciences), edited by J.P. O'Kane
  • (2003) Deterministic Methods in Systems Hydrology: IHE Delft Lecture Note Series (UNESCO-IHE Delft Lecture Note Series) by Dooge J.C.I. and J.P. O'Kane ISBN 978-9058093929
  • (2004) Global Water Resource Issues by Gordon J. Young, Dooge J.C.I. and John C. Rodda ISBN 978-0521467124

European Politics

  • (1999) A Vital National Interest: Ireland in Europe 1973–1998 by Dooge J.C.I. and R. Barrington ISBN 978-1902448220
  • (2002) What the Treaty of Nice Means by Dooge J.C.I. ISBN 9781874109563

Irish Politics

  • (1986) Ireland in the Contemporary World: Essays in Honour of Garret Fitzgerald by Dooge J.C.I. ISBN 9780717114948

European Politics


Hydrology

  • (1986) Dooge J.C.I., "Looking for hydrologic laws", Water Resources Research, 22(9), 46S–58S.
  • (1997) Dooge, J.C.I., "Searching for Simplicity in Hydrology", Surveys in Geophysics 18: 511–534, 1997.
  • (2003) Dooge, J.C.I., "Linear Theory of Hydrological Systems", EGU Reprint Series, 1, 2003.
  • (2005) Dooge, J.C.I., "Bringing it all together", Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 9, 3-14, 2005
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