After the 1988 election of George H. W. Bush, FitzGerald was appointed vice chairman of the African Development Fund.[1] In 1989, he was appointed ambassador to Ireland by President Bush.[2] His nomination caused some controversy, due to his age (FitzGerald was 80 at the time) and some misstatements he made during his confirmation hearing.[3][4] His nomination was confirmed by the Senate, and he presented his credentials to President of Ireland Mary Robinson on June 26, 1992.[5][6] He had the official title of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and served until June 5, 1993.[5]