Hugh Coveney (1935–1998) was a senior Irish politician. Born into one of Cork's prosperous "merchant prince" families, he was first elected in 1981 as a Fine Gael TD for Cork. He lost his seat in the first general election of 1982 but regained it in the second election in the same year. He lost his seat again in 1987 and didn't contest the 1992 election. He was elected to the Dáil again in 1994 in a by-election. He was first appointed to the Cabinet in 1994 under John Bruton. Coveney was appointed Minister for Defence & Minister for the Marine. However, he was demoted to a junior ministry the following year after allegations of improper contact with businessmen. He died on March 14, 1998, apparently after falling from a seaside cliff while out walking alone. His son, Simon Coveney, was elected to succeed him as TD in the resulting by-election and is currently also a Fine Gael MEP for Munster.