Sir Edgar Rees Jones KBE MP (27 August 1878 – 16 June 1962)[1] was a Welsh barrister[2] and Liberal Party[3] politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Merthyr Tydfil from 1910 to 1918, and then for Merthyr from 1918 to 1922.[1] During World War I he served as head of the Priorities Division of the Ministry of Munitions.
Edgar Rees Jones | |
|---|---|
 Jones in about 1910 | |
| Member of Parliament for Merthyr Merthyr Tydfil (1910-1918) | |
| In office 1910 – 26 October 1922 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 August 1878 Gorwel, Rhondda, Wales |
| Died | 16 June 1962 |
| Political party | Liberal Party (until 1918) Coalition Liberal (after 1918) |
Biography
editEarly life and background
editEdgar Rees Jones was born on 27 August 1878, the son of the Baptist minister Morgan Humphrey Jones and Margaret Ann Jones of Gorwel, Rhondda.[4] A Welsh speaker, he was educated in law at the University of Wales[5] and Cardiff University College, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1900 and Master of Arts degree in 1903;[4] his MA thesis was on "Political theories in England in the Seventeenth Century".[6] In September 1919,[2] he married Lillian Eleanor May, daughter of George Brackley.[4] He was known to reside at 28 Westminster Mansions, Great Smith Street, Westminster.[2]
Career
editJones came to prominence during David Lloyd George's education revolt campaign in 1903,[6] and was elected at the January 1910 general election as one of the two Members of Parliament for Merthyr Tydfil.[7][8] He held that seat until the constituency was abolished at the 1918 general election, when he was elected as a Coalition Liberal for the new Merthyr division.[9] He did not stand for re-election in 1922, and although he stood in Salford South in 1923[10] and Gower in 1931,[11] he never returned to the House of Commons.
He was once a civil servant in the Ministry of Munitions and served as head of the Priorities Division of this ministry during World War I.[12][13][14] He was chairman of the National Food Canning Council (NFCC).[12]
Along with fellow Coalition Liberal Lewis Haslam of the Newport constituency, Jones played a minor role in the discussions behind the Government of Ireland Bill.[3] Haslam in particular was strongly opposed to giving the Irish Parliament control of its own taxes.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 2)
- ^ a b c Macbean, Lachlan (1921). The Celtic who's who: names and addresses of workers who contribute to Celtic literature, music or other cultural activities, along with other information. Fifeshire Advertiser.
- ^ a b c Tanner, Duncan (2006). Debating nationhood and governance in Britain, 1885–1945: perspectives from the 'four nations'. Manchester University Press. p. 75. ISBN 0-7190-7166-6.
- ^ a b c Mair, Robert Henry (1922). Debrett's House of Commons, and the Judicial Bench. p. 89.
- ^ Grant, Raymond (1978). The parliamentary history of Glamorgan, 1542–1976. Davies, C. p. 71. ISBN 0-7154-0381-8.
- ^ a b The Times House of Commons 1910 (2nd ed.). London: Methuen. 2010 [1910]. p. 89. ISBN 978-1-84275-034-6.
- ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 458. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
- ^ "A Chronology of the History of the Cynon Valley to c.1960". Cynon Valley History Society. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 538. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ^ Craig, British parliamentary election results 1918–1949, p. 232
- ^ Craig, British parliamentary election results 1918–1949, p. 558
- ^ a b Phillips, Jim; French, Michael (2000). Cheated not poisoned?: food regulation in the United Kingdom, 1875–1938. Manchester University Press. p. 29. ISBN 9780719056055.
- ^ "The Independent, Volume 106". Independent Publications. 1921.
- ^ Saunders, W.L. (1922). Compressed air magazine, Volume 27.