This archive report was first published on 3 August 2020.
John Hume's early life was marked by a strong sense of politics, thanks to his father's influence. In the late 1940s, his father took him to a Republican meeting, where he was struck by the emotional fervor of the crowd. His father's words of caution, 'You can't eat the flag,' would stay with him for the rest of his life.
After studying for the priesthood and switching to a degree course in French and history, Hume became a teacher and a leading figure in the civil rights movement and the credit union movement. He married Pat Hone, a fellow teacher, in 1960, and the couple ran a modest smoked-salmon business alongside their teaching.
As a politician, Hume played a crucial role in the Anglo-Irish agreement of 1985, which gave the Irish Republic a consultative role in the affairs of the North. He remained close to leading political figures in the United States and was an energetic salesman for the territory, helping persuade companies to move there.
When Jean Kennedy Smith was appointed ambassador to the Irish Republic in 1993, Hume became one of her constant advisers. She helped persuade President Clinton to end American sanctions against Sinn Fein and to support the inclusion of Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein at the peace talks.
A committed European, Hume believed that the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic could be gradually eliminated as the economies of the two parts of the island became interdependent.
